Mapping the Landscape of Political Theory
Sarah Joseph
intervention in contemporary debates on justice and citizenship. While justice is a concept of central importance in contemporary political theory, citizenship is a primary identity of members of a political community. Although claims to citizenship are determined according to domi
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In a long introductory essay titled “Relation between Theory and Practice for Our Times”, Jayant Lele addresses the question whether, given the increasing risks and uncertainties of life today, political theory has anything to offer to the world. He traces the governing ideas of western political theory to the European Enlightenment, ideas such as liberty, equality and justice. These concepts emerged during the transition from feudalism to capitalism, and the accompanying development of the natural sciences and the under standing of reason as human, not divine, reason. With the growth of capitalism and the emergence of the bourgeoisie as the new ruling class, two traditions of interpretation emerged, the liberal and the critical. The liberal tradition which affirmed the virtues of capitalist democracy saw liberty and equality in contradictory terms while the critical tradition, though it recognised the potential of capitalism for eliminating want and oppression, also admitted its inbuilt limitations
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nant conceptions of justice there may be | |
book review | dissonances, “fractures”, between the two. |
Chatani explores the possible contribu- | |
Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Political | tions of feminist theory to the contempo- |
Theory edited by Mangesh Kulkarni (New Delhi: Sage), | rary debate on citizenship and justice and |
2011; pp 304, Rs 795. | argues that it can provide the resources by |
which the claims for redistribution and | |
and emphasised the need to analyse what | recognition can both be integrated. |
exists in terms of what can be. Lele main- | In “Group Identities and Rights: A Case |
tains that theory, by engaging in dialogue | for a Theory beyond the Nation State”, |
between the two, can act as a catalyst in | Arpita Anand presents a study of theories |
promoting emancipatory action. | of group rights and identities. She main- |
This provides the background to Lele’s | tains that there has been a tendency in |
discussion of two formidable challenges | social science to view group identities as |
which face the world today, i e, economic | of purely local and national origin and |
and cultural fundamentalism. He assesses | focus on domestic factors in identity for |
the contributions and limitations of three | mation even at the cost of neglecting inter |
major contemporary thinkers, Rawls, | national influences. Few studies discuss |
Habermas and Derrida towards under | group identities and rights as influenced |
standing our times and asserts the need | by both domestic as well as international |
for creative and reflexive individuals to | factors. She refers to the Indian discourse |
pursue an unfolding notion of truth. | on the rights of minorities, in particular |
In “The Politics of Globalisation: Theo | the Muslim identity, to illustrate her point. |
retical Debates”, Rohini Hensman discu s- | In the pre-Independence period a debate |
ses the impact of globalisation on national | took place among Muslim leaders between |
sovereignty, popular movements of resist | those favouring pan-Islamism and those |
ance and emancipation, militarism and | who opposed it. This influenced their |
citizenship. Writing as an activist as well | political stances vis-à-vis the British and |
as political researcher she discusses the | the nationalist movement. In the post Inde |
impact of globalisation on national sover | pendence period, Indian Muslims have |
eignty and democracy and argues that it | looked to both the domestic and inter |
does not necessarily lead to loss of demo | national environment while attempting to |
cracy. Though neo-liberal theories wel | construct a political identity for themselves |
come globalisation because it leads to the | and coping with the experience of living in |
opening up of markets and the globalisa | a secular, liberal democratic state. |
tion of capital flows, globalisation also has | Prakash Sarangi, in an article on public |
emancipatory possibilities. It can generate | choice theories and their implications for |
wider support for human rights and resist | democracy, discusses some of the insights |
ance movements which try to impose | and limitations of using economic metho |
democratic norms on emerging world sys | dologies to understand democratic proc |
tems. As an example she points to the | esses. Voting behaviour, political opinion |
World Social Forum and the changes | formation in civil society, legislative or |
which have been introduced in the World | judicial decision-making, all involve col- |
Trade Organisation. | lective decision-making by citizens and |
In “Justice, Citizenship and the Politics | theories of collective choice can be used |
of Feminism”, Lajwanti Chatani explores | to analyse such decisions. He examines |
feminist theory for possible points of | the assumptions about individuals and |
vol xlviI no 5 | 27 |
BOOK REVIEW
their behaviour adopted in such theories and discusses some well-known studies, for example, Anthony Downs’ Economic Theory of Democracy and the work of Riker and Mancur Olson. He concludes by saying that we need to go beyond purely economic explanations if we wish to understand individual behaviour and democratic institutions.
In a somewhat discursive discussion of the concept of civil society, Sanjay Palshikar (“Civil Society: Alternatives and Differences”) points out that political circumstances in different parts of Europe by the end of the 20th century led to a revival of interest in the concept. It broadly came to stand for free association and the pursuit of individual interests and objectives in contrast to the coercive state. He maintains that although the processes of globalisation have led to conversation among intellectuals across the world the western political tradition continues to enjoy a dominant position and the non-western experience tends to be structured by western theories. He, however, rejects nativism as a solution to this problem but emphasises that ideas which originate in different political contexts need to be “translated” before they can be of relevance in other contexts. In this context he discusses the work of two contemporary political theorists who he feels have recognised the problem without however offering satisfactory answers. Gurpreet Mahajan, in a discussion of Rajni Kothari’s work, has argued that the western trend of upholding civil society at the cost of the state could have negative consequences if it is transplanted to India given the inequalities and diversity which exist in society, and she argues that we need to recognise that in India the state is the guarantor of individual rights. While supporting this position Palshikar also cites certain differences with Mahajan and feels that she has not given sufficient recognition to the dynamic and changing nature of social reality. With reference to Partha Chatterjee’s discussion of political and civil society and his exploration of the ways in which many people who live outside the formal, legal structures of the state may negotiate certain benefits and concessions from it, Palshikar feels that Chatterjee may have exaggerated the distinction between political and civil society and that in fact both are in complex interaction with each other. He urges further examination of such ideas.
Mangesh Kulkarni, in “Albert Camus and the Politics of Friendship”, discusses Camus’ concept of rebellion and its continuing relevance for those facing the challenges of life in the late modern period. He mentions in particular its spirit of moderation, relativity of values and the recognition of the fallibility of thought. He ends with the comment that “in an era characterised by the ‘end of history’ impasse it provides both the utopian energy and the conceptual resources needed to reinvent a humane sociopolitical order anchored in a version of freedom” (p 148).
The philosopher Sayed A Sayeed (“Dismantling the Political”) analyses the concept of “the political” which forms a part of many different aspects of reality although all are linked to power transactions. While politics is a process which penetrates most human relations so that no escape from politics may be possible it

REVIEW OF WOMEN’S STUDIES
October 22, 2011
Subverting Policy, Surviving Poverty: Women and the SGSY in Rural Tamil Nadu | – K Kalpana |
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Small Loans, Big Dreams: Women and Microcredit in a Globalising Economy | – Kumud Sharma |
Women and Pro-Poor Policies in Rural Tamil Nadu: An Examination of Practices and Responses | – J Jeyaranjan |
Informed by Gender? Public Policy in Kerala | – Seema Bhaskaran |
Addressing Paid Domestic Work: A Public Policy Concern | – Nimushakavi Vasanthi |
Reproductive Rights and Exclusionary Wrongs: Maternity Benefits | – Lakshmi Lingam, Vaidehi Yelamanchili |
Reinventing Reproduction, Re-conceiving Challenges: | |
An Examination of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in India | – Vrinda Marwah, Sarojini N |
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february 4, 2012 vol xlviI no 5
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can be directed towards resistance to dominance which can promote freedom as much as towards control and oppression. To promote freedom counter strategies should be evolved and the life and thought of Gandhi can, he feels, provide us with the tools to do this. Other articles in the collection include Deepti Gangavane who writes on Habermas’ discourse ethics, Kannama Raman who discusses the debates on protecting traditional knowledge in the age of globalisation, Shardool Thakur who uses Giorgio Agambens’ notion of the camp as nomos of the modern to interrogate the imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958,
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in the north-east and Justin Clemens and Russell Grigg in “The Crime of Torture”.
Given the wide range of topics, perspectives, issues and disciplines represented in the book what, if anything, holds it together? In his introduction Kulkarni maintains that the diversity of the articles reflects the global and interdisciplinary character of the enterprise of political theory and that such interactions between political theorists and other colleagues in the social sciences can help to strengthen our “collective intellectual and practical capacity to shape the global configuration of capital, power and knowledge that is emerging in the matrix of late modernity
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and that political theorists can make a contribution here by drawing on their own heritage and engaging in creative collaboration with like-minded colleagues in the human sciences”. These are large aims and I would leave it to the reader to decide whether, and to what extent, the volume has been able to further them. However, it can certainly be said that the volume gives the reader an insight into the lively debate on a wide range of topics which characterises political theory in India today.
Sarah Joseph (sarahjoseph01@gmail.com) is based in Bangalore.
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