PLIT10088
Understanding Indian Politics
Course Guide
Politics/IR Honours Option
2012-2013
Dr. Wilfried Swenden (convenor)
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Welcome to Understanding Indian Politics
Understanding Indian Politics is a Politics/IR Honors Option, convened by Dr. Wilfried Swenden. It
builds on the courses South Asian Studies 2A and 2B (offered as options to all first and second year
Politics and IR students) However, students should not have taken those courses previously to enter
this course, even though some preliminary readings on Indian politics may be advisable.
Course related enquiries should be addressed in the first instance to the course convenor, Dr
Wilfried Swenden, Chrystal Macmillan Building, third floor, room 5; tel: 0131 650 4255, Email:
w.swenden@ed.ac.uk. Office hours: Wednesday 14:30 – 16:30. Where possible, students are
encouraged to make use of these office hours. Meetings outside of office hours may be arranged by
email.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
 understand the dynamics of Indian politics since Independence, and demonstrate processes
of continuity and change in Indian politics
 critically appraise competing theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses on the
transformation of Indian politics and society since Independence
 situate Indian domestic and foreign politics in a broader comparative perspective, especially
by drawing comparisons with other developing states, situating India within comparative
understandings of state-market-society relations, comparative theories of state and nationbuilding, comparative federalism, comparative theories for governing divided societies.
 develop research, analytical and presentation skills, through guided research in preparation
for assessment and tutorial presentations
Course Structure, Venue and Time
This course adopts a lecture-tutorial format. Lectures are on Monday, 15.10-16:00, in Zone: Central.
Forrest Hill, room D.02 (3.D02) on the third floor. Tutorials will held on Thursdays 10-10.50
(DHT, 7.01); 11.10-12.00 (Faculty Room South) and 15.10-16.00 (Dugald Stewart Building, 3.10
Peter Lodefoged Room). Students will be asked to sign up for a tutorial group via the course Learn
page in week 1. Tutorials begin in week 2.
Tutorial Format
All students are expected to participate in tutorial discussions, and take part in group presentations.
In the first tutorial (week 2), students will be divided in groups of 3-4 and will remain in these groups
throughout the semester. Each group will lead two tutorial discussions, including delivering a 15
minute powerpoint presentation (see Annex 1). Tutorial participation will be assessed and count
towards 15 percent of your final mark.
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Course Material: Course Guide + Learn
The Course Guide is your first source of information: it provides a list of core, tutorial, and further
readings. Most of the core or tutorial readings can be accessed as e-journals or e-publications. We
will make some tutorial readings available on Learn. Book chapters or books can be found in the
Library (the most important books are put on reserve). Lecture handouts will be made available on
Learn on the day of the lecture.
Course Assessment
This course has three components of assessment:
1) 40% essay (2500 words)
2) 15% tutorial participation (based on two group based assessments: 20 minute presentations
in which a group of four students addresses a question and prepares questions for discussion;
with one mark per group)
3) 45% take home exam (students must answer two questions posted on Learn and are given
48 hours to hand back a typed home exam)
DEADLINES:
Essay Deadline: Tuesday 26 February 2013, 12pm
Take Home Exam: released: Monday 8 April 2013, 10am – submission 11 April
2013, 10am
All coursework will be marked and returned to students within 3 working weeks of the submission
deadline. Once marked, essays will be distributed in class or can be collected from the course
convenor during office hours. Feedback will be provided for all assessed work. All marks are
provisional until confirmed by the Exam Board, which meets in early June 2013. Topics and
guidance for the essay and Take Home Exam are listed in Annex 2 and 3 of this document.
For further information regarding Submission of coursework [ESSAY +
TAKEHOME EXAM], LPW, plagiarism, learning disabilities, special
circumstances, common marking descriptors, re-marking procedures and
appeals, see ‘The Politics/IR Honours Handbook’
LATE SUBMISSION
Penalties for late submission OF Essays are set by College, and are as follows:
 Five marks per working day (i.e. excluding weekends) for up to 5 days;
 Coursework handed in more than 5 days late will receive a mark of zero
 PLEASE NOTE that failure to submit an electronic version along with the hard copy
of your coursework will be treated as failure to submit, and subject to the same
lateness penalties set out above.
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For the late submission of your Take Home Exam You will lose 5 marks per half hour past the
due date and time and will automatically receive a mark of 0 if you are more than twenty-four
hours late. The submission procedure is exactly the same as for an essay.
Students who feel they have a legitimate reason for late submission of assessed work must apply for a
lateness penalty waiver. For guidance on policy and procedure regarding work submitted after the
deadline, please see the Politics and Internationals Relations Honours Handbooks:
http://www.pol.ed.ac.uk/studying_politics#oncourseug. The School looks sympathetically on
students with a legitimate reason for late submission. Please also consult the PIR Honours
Handbooks for information on the extended marking scheme, plagiarism and freedom of
information rules.
Assessment Criteria
The following are key assessment criteria for the Essay. However, it is important to note that the overall
mark is a result of a holistic assessment of the assignment as a whole.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Does the essay address the question set, and with sufficient focus?
Does the essay show a grasp of the relevant concepts and knowledge?
Does the essay demonstrate a logical and effective pattern of argument?
Does the essay, if appropriate, support arguments with relevant, accurate and effective forms of
evidence?
Does the essay demonstrate reflexivity and critical thinking in relation to arguments and
evidence?
Is the essay adequately presented in terms of: correct referencing and quoting; spelling, grammar
and style; layout and visual presentation?
The following are key assessment criteria for the Take Home exam:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Does the exam address the question set, and with sufficient focus?
Does the exam show a grasp of the relevant concepts and knowledge?
Does the exam demonstrate a logical and effective pattern of argument?
Does the exam if appropriate, support arguments with relevant, accurate and effective forms of
evidence?
Does the exam demonstrate reflexivity and critical thinking in relation to arguments and
evidence?
Does the (typed) exam make reference to some key resources (but not more than 8 per answer)
Does the exam stay within the prescribed word limit
The following are key assessment criteria for tutorial participation:
With respect to tutorial presentations:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Does the tutorial presentation discuss the set question in a clear, concise and engaging manner?
Does the group repond well to the questions posed by the rest of the class?
Does the group lead a vibrant and relevant discussion on the set research question?
Do the presentation and discussion demonstrate a positive group dynamic which demonstrates the
collective effort that went into preparing and executing the presentation?
With respect to participation in tutorial discussions:
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Attendance: You are expected to attend every tutorial, unless you have a very good reason to be absent.
Absences should be explained in advance and justified with evidence where appropriate. Note that
absence may affect your final grade.
Preparation: You are expected to complete the required reading every week. You may be called on at
any point in any week to contribute to the discussion as part of your participation assessment.
There may sometimes be more specific instructions, found in the reading list below. The required
reading is the bare minimum you are expected to do; the more you read, the better the discussion,
the better your essays will be, and the easier your exam revision will be.
Listening and Etiquette: You are expected to listen when others talk, both in small and large group
discussions. Ideally, you will be able to incorporate or build off the ideas of others. Please be
respectful of other people’s opinions!
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COURSE OVERVIEW
Week
Date
LECTURE (Monday)
TUTORIAL (Thursday)
1
14-1
The Formation of the Indian State:
Past Legacies, New Beginnings
NO TUTORIAL – tutorial sign-up via
LEARN
2
21-1
Imagining the Indian Nation
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Crispin Bates
Introduction & discussion: What
unites India? What sets the process of
Indian state building apart from statebuilding in other countries? In what
sense is India a plurinational state?
3
28-1
Designing Institutions for a Complex
Society
Is India a power-sharing democracy?
Group A presents
4
4-2
The transformation of the Indian
Party System : from One Party
Dominance to Party Fragmentation
How can we explain the
transformation of the Indian party
system from a one party dominant to a
multi-party system?
Group B presents
5
11-2
The transformation of Indian Society
and the assertion of the Lower Castes:
from Exclusion to Inclusion
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Hugo Gorringe
To what extent has the assertion of
Dalit and OBC politics helped their
inclusion in Indian society (politics,
public administration and economics)?
Group C presents
7
25-2
The Saffronization of Indian Politics:
from secularism to Hindutva?
Why explains the rise of Hindu
nationalism in the 1980s? To what
extent does Hindu nationalism
undermine Indian democracy? Is the
BJP still –first and foremost- a Hindu
nationalist party?
Open tutorial since essay is due this
week – no group presentations
Essay due 26 February 2013, 12pm
8
4-3
The Political Economy of India: from
Planning to Free Market?
Has the liberalization of the Indian
economy made India a more affluent
society?
Group A presents
9
11-3
The transformation of Indian
Federalism: from Centralized
Federalism to Confederalism?
How and why has the transformation
of Indian federalism affected interstate inequalities?
Group B presents
10
18-3
India meets the World: From NonAlignment to Western Rapprochement?
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Which IR paradigm best explains
contemporary Indian foreign policy:
Nehruvianism, liberalism or realism?
Use Indo-Chinese, Indo-American
and/or Indo-Pakistani relations as an
example
Group C presents
11
25-3
Looking Ahead: Eight Challenges for
Indian Politics and Democracy
Open tutorial, based on challenges
identified in final class + revision
tutorial
Essay deadline: 26 February 2013
Take Home Exam: Released on 8 April, 10 am (Learn); submit (as for
essay via Learn), 11 April 10am
GENERAL READINGS:
There is no set textbook for this course, but students may find the following books or review essays
helpful:

Adeney, Katherine and Andrew Wyatt (2010), Contemporary India (Basingstoke: PalgraveMacmillan)

Bates, C (2007), Subalterns and Raj. South Asia since 1600 (Abingdon: Routledge)

Brass, Paul (1994), The Politics of India since Independence (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press)

Gopal Jayal, Niraja (2008), Democracy in India (Delhi: Oxford University Press)

Gopal Jayal, Niraja and Pratap Bhanu Metha, eds., (2010), The Oxford Companion to Politics in
India (Delhi: Oxford University Press)

Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India after Gandhi. The History of the World’s Largest Democracy (New
York: Harpers Collins).

Subrata K. Mitra (2011), Politics in India. Structure, Process and Policy (London: Routledge)

Stepan, Alfred, Linz, Juan J. and Yogendra Yadav (2011). State-Nations. India and other
Multinational Democracies (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press)
JOURNALS
Journal articles are also a valuable source of good quality academic research. Many social science
journals carry articles of relevance to this course, especially Asian Survey, Contemporary South
Asia, Economic and Political Weekly, Journal of Contemporary Asia, India Review, Pacific
Affairs, Seminar. Students may also wish to consult general political science journals such as
Comparative Political Studies, Party Politics, American Journal of Political Science, World Politics, International
Organization, Foreign Affairs which occasionally publish articles with Indian content. All of these are
available as electronic journals via the Information Services website. Finally, for current affairs, it is
advisable to check India’s leading newspapers, The Hindu or the Times of India, on a regular
basis as well as India Today, a weekly current affairs magazine. Of further use is Caravan magazine:
http://caravanmagazine.in/ a new Indian on-line journal of Politics & Culture.
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Detailed Course programme
Monday 14 January 2013
Lecture 1: The Formation of the Indian State: Past Legacies, New Beginnings
The lecture will provide an overview of course learning outcomes and administration, and clarify the
key concepts at the centre of an analysis of Indian Politics. It provides the historical context, i.e. the
key challenges facing Indian democracy at Independence and the process of Indian state formation
(and Partition) and how it compared with state formation elsewhere.
Core Reading
Katherine Adeney and Andrew Wyatt, ‘The Making of Modern India’, in Katherine Adeney and
Andrew Wyatt (2010), Modern India (Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan), 7-35
Rudolph, S.H. (1987), ‘Presidential Address: State Formation in Asia – Prolegomenon to a
Comparative Study’, Journal of Asian Studies, 46, (4), 731-46
Talbot, I and Singh, G. (2009), The Partition of India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 25-60
Further Reading
Bandopadhyay, S. (2004) From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India. New Delhi: Orient
Longman, especially, 37-65; 75-82 (foundations of colonial rule); 82-95; 122-138 (economy
and society); 139-158 (religion, education and society); 234-247 (religion and society)
Bates, C. (2007) Subalterns and Raj. South Asia since 1600 (Abingdon: Routledge)
Brass, Paul, ‘Continuities and discontinuities between pre- and post-independence India’ in Brass,
Paul (1994), The Politics of India since Independence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Breckenridge C and Van der Veer, P. eds. (1993) Orientalism and the Post-Colonial Predicament. Perspectives
on Orientalism and South Asia, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press).
Brecher, M. (2005). Nehru: A Political Biography. (New Delhi: Oxford University Press).
Chatterjee, P. ‘The State’ in Gopal Jayal, N and Mehta, Pranap Bhanu, eds (2010)., The Oxford
Companion to Politics in India, (Delhi: Oxford University Press), 3-14
Chiriyankandath, J (1992), ‘Democracy under the Raj: Elections and Separate Representation in
British India, Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics. 30, (1), 39-62
Gough, Kathleen and Harri P. Sharma, ed. (1973), Imperialism and Revolution in South Asia. New York:
Monthly Review Press
Habib, I. (2007). Essays in Indian History: Towards a Marxist Perception. (New Delhi: Tulika Books).
Hasan, Zoya, ed. (2000), Politics and the State in India (Readings in Indian Government and Politics), (Delhi:
Sage)
Luce, E. (2011), ‘The Burra Sahibs. The long tentacles of India’s state’ in Luce, E (2011), In Spite of the
Gods. The Strange Rise of Modern India (London: Abacus, 2nd edition), 64-105
Mitra, S. (2011), ‘Pre-modern Pasts of modern politics: the legacies of British colonial rule’ in Mitra,
S.K. ed., Politics in India. Structure, process and policy (Abingdon: Routledge, 2011), 21-42
Rudoph, L.I. and Rudolph, S., (1967), The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press)
Vanaik, A. (1990), The Painful Transition: Bourgeois Democracy in India (London: Verso)
Vohra, Ranbin (2000), The Making of India. A Historical Survey (New York: M.E.-Sharpe)
Zachariah, B. (2004). Nehru. (London: Routledge/New Delhi:Roli Books).
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Monday 21 January 2013
Lecture 2: Imagining the Indian Nation
Guest Lecturer: Dr Crispin Bates, Reader in South Asian History and Director of the Centre
for South Asian Studies, University of Edinburgh
Core Reading
Baipai, Rochana (2011), ‘Nationalist Discourse and Group Rights. A Conceptual Approach’ in
Bajpai, R. ed., Debating Difference. Group Rights and Liberal Democracy in India (Delhi: Oxford
University Press), 70-115
Nandy, Ashis (1988), ‘The Politics of Secularism and the Recovery of Religious Tolerance’,
Alternatives, 13 (2), 177-194 [e-journal]
Parekh, Bhiku (2008), ‘The Constitution as a Statement of Indian Identity; in Bhargava, R. (ed.)
Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution. ( New Delhi: Oxford University Press), 43-58
Talbot, Ian (2000), India and Pakistan. Inventing the Nation (London: Bloomsbury), especially chapters 5
(The politicisation of community identities, pp 111-34) and 7 (Nation-building in India: ideas and
institutions, 162-196)
Further Reading
Adeney, K and Lall, M (2005), 'Institutional Attempts to build a national identity in India: internal
and external dimensions', India Review, 4 (3): 258-86
Aloysius, G. (1997). Nationalism Without A Nation in India. ( New Delhi: Oxford University Press).
Austin, G. (1979) ‘The Constituent Assembly: Microcosm in Action’, in The Indian Constitution:
Cornerstone of a Nation. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-25.
Austin, G. (2000) ‘The Social Revolution and the First Amendment,’ in Working a Democratic
Constitution. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 69-98.
Bhargava, R. (2008) ‘Introduction: Outline of a Political Theory of the Indian Constitution’, in
Bhargava, R. (ed.) Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution. New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, pp. 1-40.
Chakrabarty, Bidyut (2003), Communal Identity in India. Its construction and Articulation in the Twentieth
Century (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Chandoke, Neera ‘Secularism’ in Gopal Jayal, N and Mehta, Pranap Bhanu, eds (2010)., The Oxford
Companion to Politics in India, (Delhi: Oxford University Press), 333-47
Chatterjee, P. (1993), The Nation and its Fragments: colonial and postcolonial histories (Princeton: Princeton
University Press)
Daud, A., ed., Invoking the Past: the Uses of History in South Asia. (New Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Farmer, V.L., ‘Depicting the Nation: media politics in independent India’ in Frankel, F.R., Hasan, Z.,
Bhargava, R. and Arora, B., eds. Transforming India. Social and Political Dynamics of Democracy
(Delhi; Oxford University Press), 254-88
Gopal Jayal, Niraja (2006), ‘Representing India. Ethnic Diversity and the Governance of Public
Institutions (Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan), 1-15
Jaffrelot, C. (2004), ‘Composite Culture is not Multiculturalism: a study of the Indian Constitutent
Assembly Debates’ in Varshney, A, ed., India and the Politics of Developing Countries. Essays in Memory
of Myron Weiner (New Delhi: Sage), 126-49
Jha, S. (2008) ‘Rights versus Representation: Defending Minority Interests in the Constituent
Assembly’, in Bhargava, R. (ed.) Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution. New Delhi: Oxford
University Press, pp. 339-353.
Khilnani, S. (1997), The Idea of India (London: Hamish Hamilton)
Kumar, Krishna (2001) Prejudice and Pride: school histories of the freedom struggle in India and Pakistan (New
Delhi: Penguin)
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Kaviraj, S. ‘Nationalism’ in Gopal Jayal, N and Mehta, Pranap Bhanu, eds (2010)., The Oxford
Companion to Politics in India, (Delhi: Oxford University Press), 317-22
Pantham, T. (2008) ‘Gandhi and the Constitution: Parliamentary Swaraj and Village Swaraj,’
in Bhargava, R. (ed.) Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution. New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, pp. 59-78.
Roy, S. (2007), Beyond Belief: India and the Politics of Postocolonial Nationalism (Durham, NC: Duke
University Press)
Monday 28 January 2013
Lecture 3: Designing Institutions for a Complex Society
Core Reading
Adeney, Katherine (2002), ‘Constitutional Centering: Nation Formation and Consociational
Federalism in India and Pakistan,’, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 40, (2002), 3, 8-33
Gupta, Dipankar (1990), ‘The Indispensible Nation. Ethnicity and Politics in the Indian Nation
State’, Journal of Contemporary Asia, 20, (4), 521-39
Lerner, Hannah, (2010), ‘Constitution-Making in Deeply Divided Societies’, Nations and Nationalism,
16, (1), 68-88
Stepan, A., Linz, J.J. and Y. Yadav (2011), Crafting State-Nations. India and Other Multinational
Democracies (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press) 39-88 (for a comparative placement
of India, see also their chapter 1)
Wilkinson, S. ‘India, Consociational Theory and Ethnic Violence’, Asian Survey, 40, (5), 767-91
Further Reading
Agrawal, A. (2005) ‘The Indian Parliament,’ in Kapur, D. and Mehta P.B. (ed.) Public Institutions in
India: Performance and Design. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 77-104.
Bajpai, R (2007), Democracy and Diversity. India and the American Experience (Delhi: Oxford University
Press)
Bhushan, P. (2007) ‘Public Interest Litigation: Supreme Court in the Era of Liberalization’, in Dua,
B.D., Singh, M.P. and Saxena, R. (eds.) Indian Judiciary and Politics: The Changing Landscape. New
Delhi: Manohar, pp. 163-175
Brass, P. (1994), ‘Political change, Political Structure and the Functioning of Government’ in Brass,
P. (1994), The Politics of India since Independence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 35-66
Chandoke Neera, ‘Negotiating Linguistic Diversity: a comparative study of India and the United
States’ in Bajpai, K. Shankar (2007), ed., Democracy and Diversity: India and the American
Experience (New Delhi: Oxford University Press), 107-43
Desai, A., Subramanium, G., Dhavan, R., and Ramchandran, R. (eds.) Supreme But Not Infallible: Essays
in Honour of the Supreme Court of India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp.107-133
Jaffrelot, C., ‘Composite Culture is not Multiculturalism: A study of the Indian Constituent Assembly
Debates’ in Varshney, A. (ed), India and the Politics of Developing Countries (New Delhi: Sage),
126-149
Khare, H. (2003) ‘Prime Minister and Parliament: Redefining Accountability in the Age of Coalition
Government’, in Mehra, A.K. and Kueck, G.W. (eds.) The Indian Parliament: A Comparative
Perspective. New Delhi: Konark Publishers, pp. 350- 368.
Krishnan K.P. and Somanathan, T.V., ‘Civil Service: an Institutional Perspective’ in Kapur D. and
Mehta, Pratap Bhanu, eds. (2005), Public Institutions in India (Delhi: Oxford University Press),
258-319
Lerner, H., (2011), ‘Constructive Ambiguity in India’ in Lerner, H., Making Constitutions in Deeply
Divided Societies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 109-51
Manor, J. (2005) ‘The Presidency’, in Kapur, D. and Mehta, P.B. (ed.) Public Institutions in India:
Performance and Design. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 105-127.
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Manor, J. (1994) ‘The Prime Minister and the President’, in Dua, B.D. and Manor J. (eds.) Nehru to the
Nineties : The Changing Office of the Prime Minister in India, Vancouver: University of British
Columbia Press, pp. 20-47.
Rudolph, L.I. and Rudolph, S. H. (2008) ‘Judicial Review Versus Parliamentary Sovereignty: The
Struggle Over Stateness in India,’ in Explaining Indian Democracy: A Fifty Year Perspective, 19562006 Volume 2: The Realm Of Institutions: State Formation and Institutional Change. New
Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 183-210.
Monday 4 February 2013
Lecture 4: The transformation of the Indian Party System: from One Party Dominance to
Party Fragmentation?
Core Reading
Kailash, K.K., ‘Federal Calculations in State Level Coalition Governments’, India Review, (10), 3, 24682
Manor, J. ‘Towel over Armpit’: Small-time Political Fixers in India’s States in Varshney, A. (2002),
India and the Politics of Developing Countries (New Delhi: Sage) 60-86
Yadav, Y. and Palshikar, S (2009), ‘Between Fortuna and Virtu: Explaining the Congress Ambiguous
Victory in 2009’, Economic and Political Weekely, 44, (39), 33-46
Yadav, Y. and Palshikar, S. (2006), ‘Party System and Electoral Politics in the Indian States, 19522002: From Hegemony to Convergence’ in Ronald de Souza, P. and E. Sridharan, eds., India’s
Political Parties , 73-115
Ziegfield, A. ‘Coalition Government and Party System Change. Explaining the Rise of Regional
Parties in India’, Comparative Politics, 45, (1), 69-87
Further Reading
Arora, B. ‘Federalization of India’s Party System’ in Mehra, A.K., Khanna, D.D., and Kueck, G.W.,
eds., Political Parties and Party Systems (New Delhi: Sage), 83-99
Arora, B. (2000) ‘Negotiating Differences: Federal Coalitions and National Cohesion’, in Frankel, F.
Hasan, Z. Bhargava, R. and Arora, B. (eds.) Transforming India: Social and Political Dynamics of
Democracy. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 176-206.
Banerjee, M. (2010) ‘A Left Front Election’ in Heath, A.F and Jeffery, R. eds, Diversity and Change in
Modern India, Ecnomic, Social and Political Approaches, (Oxford: Oxford University Press),
Proceedings of the British Academy, 159, 243-66
Chandra, K. (2004), Why Ethnic Parties Succeed. Patronage and Ethnic Head Counts in India (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press),
Chhibber, P. and Nooruddin, I. (2004), ‘Do Party Systems Count? The Number of Parties and
Government Performance in the Indian States’, Comparative Political Studies, 37, 152
Diwakar, R., ‘Party Aggregation in India: A State Level Analysis’, Party Politics, (2010), 16: 477-496
Ghosh, P.S., ‘The Congress and the BJP. Struggle for the Heartland’ in Mehra, A.K., Khanna, D.D.,
and Kueck, G.W., eds., Political Parties and Party Systems (New Delhi: Sage), 224-243
Guha Thakurta, P. and Raghuraman, S., eds., (2007), Divided we Stand. India in a Time of Coalitions
(Delhi: Sage)
Hasan, Z. (2006), ‘Bridging a growing divide? The Indian National Congress and Indian democracy’,
Contemporary South Asia, 15, (4), 473-488
Hasan, Z. ed. (2006). Parties and Party Politics in India. ( New Delhi: Oxford University Press).
Jaffrelot, C. (2001) ‘The Sangh Parivar Between Sanskritization and Social Engineering’, in
Hansen, T.B. and Jaffrelot, C. (eds.) The BJP and the Compulsions of Politics in India. New Delhi: Oxford
University Press, pp. 22-71.
Kochanek, S. (1968), The Congress Party of India. The Dynamics of One Party Democracy (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press
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Kothari, R. (2002) ‘The Congress “System” in India’, in Hasan, Z. (ed.) Parties and Party Politics in
India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 39-55.
Manor, J. (1995) ‘Regional Parties in Federal Systems’, in Arora, B. and Verney, D.V. (eds.) Multiple
Identities in a Single State: Indian Federalism in Comparative Perspective. Delhi: Konark, pp. 105-135.
Nikolenyi, C., ‘The New Indian Party System: What kind of a Model?’, Party Politics, 1998, (4), 367380
Pai, S., ‘Parties Ethno-nationalism and Separatism. A comparative study of the Akali Dal and the
Parti Quebecois’ in Pai, S., State Politics. New Dimensions (Delhi: Shipra Publications), 129-207
Rodrigues, V. (2006) ‘The Communist Parties in India’, in deSouza, P.R. and Sridharan, E.(eds.)
India’s Political Parties. New Delhi: Sage, pp. 199-252.
Shastri, S., Suri, K.C. and Yadav, Y. eds (2009), Electoral Politics in Indian States, Lok Sabha Elections in
2004 and beyond (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Sridharan, E. (2005), ‘Coalition Strategies and the BJP expansion, 1989-2004’, Commonwealth &
Comparative Politics, 43, (2), 194-221
Sridharan, E. (2007), ‘Democracy within Parties and the Accommodation of Diversity’ in Bajpai,
K.S., ed., Democracy and Diversity. India and the American Experience (Delhi: Oxford University
Press), 192-224
Verney, D (2005). ‘How has the proliferation of parties affected the Indian Federation? A
comparative approach’ in Hasan, Z., Sridharan, E and R. Sudarshan, eds., India’s Living
Constitution. Ideas, Practices, Controversies, (London: Anthem Press), 134-58
Yadav, Y. and Palshikar, S. (2006) ‘Party System and Electoral Politics in the Indian States, 19522002: From Hegemony to Convergence’, in deSouza, P.R. and Sridharan, E. (eds.) India’s
Political Parties. New Delhi: Sage, pp. 73-115.
Monday 11 February 2013
Lecture 5: The transformation of Indian Society and the assertion of the Lower Castes: from
Exclusion to Inclusion?
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Hugo Gorringe (Senior Lecturer, Sociology)
Core Reading
Gorringe, H. Forthcoming. 'Dalit Politics: Untouchability, Identity and Assertion', in A. Kohli & P.
Singh (eds): The Routledge Handbook of Indian Politics (London: Routledge) in press [uploaded
on Learn]
Jaffrelot, C. (2000), ‘The rise of the Other Backward Classes in the Hindi Belt’, Journal of Asian Studies
59, (1)
Jaffrelot, C. (2005) ‘The Politics of the OBCs’, in Seminar, Issue 549, pp.41-45.
Yadav, Y. (2000) ‘Understanding the Second Democratic Upsurge: Trends of Bahujan Political
Participation in Electoral Politics in the 1990s’, in Frankel, F.R. Hasan Z., Bhargava, R. and Arora,
B. (eds.) Transforming India: Social and Political Dynamics of Democracy.New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, pp. 120-145.
Further Reading
Bayly, S. (1999). Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age.
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Dirks, Nicholas (2001), Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the making of Modern India (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press)
12
Chenoy, A. M and Chenoy K. A. (2010). Maoist and Other Armed Conflicts. (New Delhi: Penguin
Books).
Chibber. P. and Petrocik, J.R. (2002) ‘Social Cleavages, Elections and the Indian Party System’, in
Hasan, Z. (ed.) Parties and Party Politics in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 5675.
Dumont, L. (1980), Homo Hierarchicus: the caste system and its implications (Chicago: the University of
Chicago Press)
Fuller, C. (1996), Caste Today (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Galanter, M. (2002) ‘The Long Half-Life of Reservations’, in Hasan, Z. Sridharan, E. and Sudarshan,
R (eds.) India’s Living Constitution: Ideas, Practices, Controversies. New Delhi: Permanent Black, pp.
306-318.
Gorringe, H., ‘The Caste of the Nation: Untouchability and Citizenship in South India’, Contributions
to Indian Sociology, 42, (1), 123-49
Hasan, Z. (2009), ‘Caste, Social Backwardness and OBC Reservations’ in Hasan, Z, Castes, Minorities
and Affirmative Action (Delhi: Oxford University Press), 78-125
Jaffrelot, C., (2005), Dr. Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analyzing and Fighting Caste (New York/London:
Columbia University Press/Hurst)
Jaffrelot, C. (2011), Religion, Caste and Politics in India (London: Hurst & Company), 411-579
Kothari, R. (1970) ‘Introduction,’ in Caste in Indian Politics. Delhi: Orient Longman, pp.3-25.
Michelutta, L. (2008), The Vernacularisation of Democracy: politics, caste and religion in India (Abindgon:
Routledge)
Mitra, S. and Singh, V.B., (2007), When Rebels become Stateholders (Delhi: Sage)
Omvedt, G. (1994). Dalits and the Democratic Revolution: Dr. Ambedkar and the Dalit Movement in Colonial
India (New Delhi: Sage)
Omvedt, G. (2002) ‘Ambedkar and After: The Dalit Movement in India’, in Shah, G. (ed.) Social
Movements and the State. New Delhi: Sage, pp. 293-309.
Pandian, M. S. S. (2007). Brahmin and Non-Brahmin: Genealogies of the Tamil Political Present. (New Delhi:
Orient Longman).
Pai, S. (2001), ‘From Harijans to Dalits: Identity Formation, Political Consciousness and Electoral
Mobilization of the Scheduled Castes in Uttar Pradesh’ in Shah, G., ed., Dalit Identity and
Politics. Cultural Subordination and the Dalit Challenge, vol.2 (New Delhi: Sage), 258-287
Sharma, U. (1999), Caste (Buckingham: Open University Press)
Monday 25 February 2012
Lecture 6: The Saffronization of Indian Politics: from secularism to Hindutva?
Core Reading
Hansen, Thomas (1999), The Saffron Wave: democracy and Hindu nationalism in modern India (Princeton:
Princeton University Press)
Jaffrelot, C. (1993), ‘Hindu nationalism: strategic syncretism in ideology building’, Economic and
Political Weekly, 28, (12-13), 517-524
Ogden, C. (2012), ‘A Lasting Legacy. The BJP led National Democratic Alliance and India’s Politics’,
Journal of Contemporary Asia, 42, (1), 22-38
Prasad, C. Ram (1993), ‘Hindutva Ideology: Extracting the Fundamentals’, Contemporary South Asia, 2,
(3), 285-309
Van der Veer, P. (1987), ‘God must be Liberated!. A Hindu Nationalist Movement in Ayodhya’,
Modern Asian Studies, 21, (2), 283-301
13
Further Reading
Adeney, K. and Saez, L. (2006), Coalition Politics and Hindu Nationalism, (Abingdon: Routledge
Advances in South Asian Studies)
Banerjee, S., Make me a Man! Masculinity, Hinduism and Nationalism in India (New York: State University
of New York Press)
Bilgrami, A. (1999) ‘Two Concepts of Secularism’, in Kaviraj, S. (ed.) Politics in India. New Delhi:
Oxford University Press, pp. 349-361.
Bose, S. (1999), ‘Hindu Nationalism and the Crisis of the Indian State’ in Bose, S and Jayal, A., eds.,
Nationalism, Democracy and Development. State and Politics in India (Delhi: Oxford University
Press)
Brass, P.R. (2003) ‘Introduction: Explaining Communal Violence’, in The Production of Hindu-Muslim
Violence in Contemporary India. (Seattle: University of Washington Press), pp. 5-39.
Menon, N. and Nigam, A. (2007) ‘Politics of Hindutva and the Minorities’, in Power and Contestation:
India since 1989. London: Fernwood Publishing, Halifax and Zed Books, pp.36-60.
Nandy, A. (1997), ‘The twilight of Certitudes. Secularism, Hindu Nationalism and other Masks of
Deculturation’, 22, (2), 157-76
Noorani, A. G. (2004). The RSS and the BJP: A Division of Labour. (New Delhi: Leftword Books)
Ogden, C. (2013), Hindu nationalism and the Evolution of Contemporary Indian Security (Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Jaffrelot, C. (1999). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s (New Delhi:
Penguin Books).
Shani, O. (2007), Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism: the violence in Gujarat (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press)
Varsheny, A. (1993), ‘Contested Meanings: India’s National Identity, Hindu Nationalism and the
Politics of Anxiety’, Daedalus, 122, (3), 227-61
Varshney, A. (2002), Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Van der Veer, P. Religious Nationalism. Hindus and Muslims in India (Berkely: University of California
Press)
Wilkinson, S. I. ed. (2005). Religious Politics and Communal Violence. (New Delhi: Oxford University
Press).
Monday 4 March 2013
Lecture 7: The Political Economy of India: from Planning to Free Market?
Core Reading
Rudolph, I and Rudolph S.H. (1987), In pursuit of Lakshmi: The Political Economy of the Indian State
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press), 211-44
Das, R (2001)., ‘Review Essay. The Political Economy of India’, New Political Economy, 6, (1), 103-117
Deaton, A. and Drèze, J. ‘Poverty and Inequality in India. A reexamination’, Economic and Political
Weekly, 7 September, 3729-3748
Pedersen, J.D, (2000), ‘Explaining Economic Liberalization in India: State and Society Perspectives’,
World Development, (28), 2, 265-82
Varshney, A. (1998), ‘Mass Politics or Elite Politics? India’s Economic Reforms in Comparative
Perspective’, Journal of Policy Reform, 2, (4), 301-335
14
Further Reading
Ahluwahlia, M.S., (1992), ‘Economic Reforms in India since 1991: Has gradualism worked?’, the
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 16, (3), 67-88
Bhagwati, J. and Panagarya, A., (2012), India’s Reforms. How they produced Inclusive Growth (Oxford:
Oxford University Press)
Chakravarty, S., Development Planning: the Indian Experience (New Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Corbridge, S., Williams, G., Srivastava M. amd Véron, R., (2005), Seeing the State: Governance and
Governability in India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Drèze, J and Sen, A.K., eds., India. Development and Participation (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Frankel, Francine (2005), India’s Political Economy 1947-1977 (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Habib, I. (2007). Essays in Indian History: Towards a Marxist Perception. (New Delhi: Tulika Books)
Hsueh, R. (2012), ‘China and India in the age of Globalization: Sectorial Variation in
Postliberalization Regulation’, Comparative Political Studies, 45, (32), 32-61
Sainath, P. (1996). Everybody Loves A Good Drought: Stories from India’s Poorest Districts. (New Delhi:
Penguin Books)
Mukherji, R. ed. (2007). India’s Economic Transition: The Politics of Reforms. (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Rangarajan C and Srivastqva, D.K., Federalism and Fiscal Transfers in India (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Ghate, C. ed. (2012), The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Economy (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
Harriss, J. (2009). Power Matters: Essays on Institutions, Politics and Society in India. (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Kohli, A. (1987), The State and Poverty in India. The Politics of Reform (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press)
Panagariya, A. (2008), India: the Emergent Giant (New York: Oxford University Press)
Sathyamurti, T.V., ed. (1995), Industry and Agriculture in India since Independence (Delhi: Oxford
University Press)
Sinha, A., When David meets Goliath: How Global Trade Rules Shape Domestic Politics in India
Sinha, A., The regional roots of Developmental Politics in India. A Divided Leviathan (Indiana: Indiana
University Press)
Varshney, A. (1998), Democracy, Development and the Countryside: Urban-Rural Struggles in India
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Monday 11 March 2013
Lecture 8: The transformation of Indian Federalism: from Centralized Federalism to
Confederalism?
Core-Reading
Bhattacharyya, H., ‘UPA (2004-) Globalization and Indian Federalism: a paradigm Shift?, South Asia
Institute Working Paper, Department of Political Science, University of Heidelberg, working paper no 55:
paper can be downloaded from: http://archiv.ub.uniheidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2010/10772/pdf/HPSACP_Harihar.pdf
Ghosh, P.P, ‘Political Implications of Interstate Disparity’, Economic and Political Weekly, 27 June 2009,
vol. XLIV, nos. 26-27, 185-91
Rudolph, Lloyd I and Rudolph, Susanna Hoeber (2010), ‘Federalism as State Formation in India, A
Theory of Shared and Negotiated Sovereignty’, International Political Science Review, 31 (5), 553-72
Sinha, Aseema (2003), ‘Rethinking the Developmental State Model: Divided Leviathan and
Subnational Comparisons in India, Comparative Politics, 35, (4), 459-76
Tillin, L. (2011), ‘Questioning borders, Social Movements, Political Parties and the Creating of new
States in India’, Pacific Affairs 84, (1), 67-87
15
Further Reading
Arora, B. (1995) ‘Adapting Federalism to India: Multi-level and Asymmetrical Innovations’, inArora,
B. and Verney, D. (eds.) Multiple Identities in a Single State: Indian Federalism in Comparative
Perspective. Delhi: Konark, pp. 71-104.
Chopra, P. (2006), The Supreme Court versus the Constitution (New Delhi: Sage), especially pp 250-274
DeSouza, P.R. (2002) ‘Decentralisation and Local Government: The “Second Wind” of Democracy
in India,’ in Hasan, Z. Sridharan, E. and Sudharshan, R. (ed.) India’s Living Constitution: Ideas,
Practices and Controversies. New Delhi: Permanent Black, pp. 370- 404.
Dhavan, R. and Saxena, R, ‘The Rewriting of Indian Federalism: Constitutional amendments,
statutory changes and the executive power revisited’, (sd)
Hönig, P., ‘India between Scylla and Charbydis: Negotiating the Cliff of federalism’, South Asia
Institute, University of Heidelberg, Working Paper No 50
Marwah, V. (1995) ‘Use and Abuse of Emergency Powers: The Indian Experience’, in Arora, B. and
Verney, D. (eds.) Multiple Identities in a Single State: Indian Federalism in Comparative Perspective.
Delhi: Konark, pp.136-159.
Rodden, J. and Wilkinson, S (2004), ‘The Shifting Political Economy of Redistribution in the Indian
Federation’, Paper prepared for the annual meeting of the International Society for New
Institutional Economics, Tuscon, AZ, September 30-October 3 (paper can be downloaded)
Jenkins, R., ed., Regional Reflections. Comparing Politics across India’s States (Oxford: Oxford University
Press)
John, M.E. (2007) ‘Women in Power? Gender, Caste and the Politics of Local Urban Governance’,
Economic and Political Weekly, 42 (39): pp.3986-3993.
Mukarji N. and Arora, B. eds. (1992), Federalism in India. Origins and Development (New Delhi: Vikas)
Rao, M.G. and Singh, N.(2005), Political Economy of Federalism in India (Delhi: Oxford University Press)
Sáez, L., Federalism without a Centre. The Impact of Political and Economic Reform on India’s Federal System
(New Delhi: Sage)
Saxena, R.(2006), Situating Federalism. Mechanisms of Intergovernmental Relations in Canada and India (Delhi:
Manohar)
Wyatt, A and Zavos, J., eds (2003)., Decentring the Indian Nation (London: Frank Cass), Note that this
book was first published as a special issue of Commonwealth & Comparative Politics [e-journal], 40,
3, (November 2002)
Monday 18 March 2013
Lecture 9: India meets the World: From Non-Alignment to Western Rapprochement?
Core Reading
Cohen, S.P. (2002), ‘India, Pakistan and Kashmir’, Journal of Strategies Studies, 25, (4), 32-60
Ganguly, S., Pardeesi, M.S., ‘Explaining Sixty Years of India’s Foreign Policy’, India Review, 8, (1), 419
Scott, D. (2009), ‘India’s Extended Neighbourhood Concept: Power projection for a Rising Power’,
India-Review, 8, (2), 107-43
Paul, T.V., (2006), ‘Why has the India-Pakistan Relationship been so Enduring? Power Asymmetry
and an Intractable Conflict’, Security Studies, 15, (4), 600-630
Further Reading
Biswas, B. (2012), ‘New Directions in India’s Foreign Policy’, 11, (2), 134-138
Itty Abraham, The Making of the Indian Atomic Bomb: Science, Secrecy and the Postcolonial State (London:
Zed, 1998).
16
Ram, N. (2002). Riding the Nuclear Tiger. (New Delhi: Leftword Books).
Koshy, N. (2006). Under the Empire: India’s New Foreign Policy. ( New Delhi: Leftword Books)
Paul, T. V. ed. (2006). The India-Pakistan Conflict: An Enduring Rivalry (New Delhi: Cambridge
University Press/Foundation Books)
Prashad, V. 2003) Namaste Sharon: Hindutva and Sharonism Under US Hegemony. (New Delhi: Leftword
Books)
Cohen, S. P., India: Emerging Power (Washington: Brookings Institution, 2002), especially Chapter 10:
‘India Rising’, 299-319.
Sumit Ganguly, (ed.) India as an Emerging Power (London: Frank Cass, 2003), especially Chapter 2:
Hathaway, Robert M. ‘The India-US Courtship: From Clinton to Bush’, 6-31.
Sunil Khilnani, The Idea of India (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1997).
Luce, E. In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India (London: Acabus/Little Brown, 2011)
Baldev Raj Nayar and T. V. Paul, India in the World Order: Searching for Major Power Status (Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 2003).
K. Raman Pillai, (ed.) Indian Foreign Policy in the 1990s (New Delhi: Sangam Books, 1997).
C. Raja Mohan, Crossing the Rubicon: the Shaping of India’s New Foreign Policy (New Delhi: Penguin
Books, 2005)
Ogden, C. (2010), ‘Norms, Indian Foreign Policy and the 1998-2004 National Democratic Alliance,
The Roundtable: the Commonwealth Journal of International Relations, (99), 408, 303-15
Singh, N., ‘How to Tame your dragon? An evaluation of India’s foreign policy towards China’, India
Review, wolume 11, Issue 3, July 2012, pages 139-160
Niraj K. Sinha, Beyond Borders: Indian Foreign Policy in 21st Century: Priorities and Prospects (New Delhi:
South Asian, 2005)
Yadav, V. and Barwa, C., ‘Relational Control: India’s Grand Strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan’,
India Review, 10, (2), 93-125
Strobe Talbott, Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb (Washington: Brookings Institution,
2004).
Monday 25 March 2013
Lecture 10: Looking Ahead: Eight Challenges for Indian Politics and Democracy
The final lecture summarizes some of the key challenges of Indian politics but also looks ahead.
Rather than providing an extensive list of resources, I list here a few readings that address some of
the challenges India faces up to. Students are expected to have read the reading with an asterisk in
advance of the last tutorials on Thursday.
1. Accountable Governance
Rudolph, S.H. and Rudolph, L (2002). ‘New Dimensions of Indian Democracy’, Journal of Democracy,
13, (1), 2002, 52-66
Banerjee, S. (2011), ‘Anna Hazare, civil society and the state’, Economic and Political Weekly, XLVI, (36)
*Panchu, S. (2011), ‘Lokpal, where do we stand now? How did we get there’? Economic and Political
Weekly, XLVI, (41), 19-21
Reddy, G. Ram and Haragopal, G. (1985), ‘The Pyarveekar: the ‘Fixer’ in Rural India, Asian Survey,
25, (11), 1148-62
Wilkinson, S.I. (2007), ‘Explaining Changing Patterns of Party-Voter Linkages in India’, in Kitschelt,
H. and Wilkinson, S., eds., Patrons, Clients and Policies. Patterns of Democratic Accountability and Political
Competition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 110-140
2. Managing Demographic change: dividend or catastrophe?
17
*Dyson, T., ‘Growing Regional Variation: Demographic Change and its Implications’ in Jeffery,
Roger and Heath, Anthony (2010), eds., Diversity and Change in Modern India. Economic, Social and
Political Approaches (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
3. Sustainable Development and Climate Change
*Sathaye, J., P.R. Shukla and N.H. Ravindranath (2006), ‘Climate Change, Sustainable Development
and India: Global and national concerns’, Current Science, 90, 3, 314-25
Dasgupta S., Gosain, A.K., Rao, S., Roy, S. and M. Sarraf, (2012), ‘A megacity in a changing climate:
the case of Kolkata’, Climatic Change, [published on line first]
Fisher, S. (2012), ‘Policy Storylines in Indian climate politics: opening new political spaces?
‘Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 30, 109-27
Malone, E. and Brenkert, A.L. (2008), ‘Uncertainty in resilience to climate change in India and Indian
States’, Climatic Change, 91: 451-76
4. Gendering India
Prabhat, J., Kesler, M.A., Kumar, R., Faujdar, R., Usha, R., Aleksandrowicz, L., Bassani, D.G.,
Chandra, S. and Banthia, J.K., (2011) ‘Trends in selective abortions of girls in India: analysis of
nationally representative birth histories from 1990 to 2005 and census data from 1999 to 2011’,
The Lancet, 377, (6 April 2011), 9781, 1921-1928
*Mishra, R. and Jhamb, B (2009)., ‘An assessment of UPA-I through a Gender- Budgeting Lens’,
Economic and Political Weekly, 29 August, vol. xliv, 61-68
5. Accommodating Religious Minorities
Aiyar, Y and Malik, M., ‘Minority Rights, Secularism and Civil Society’, Economic and Political Weekly,
23 October 2004, 4707-4711
SACHAR Report (2006): ‘Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of
India’, (New Delhi: PM High Level Committee Cabinet Secretariat), especially chapters 2 and 11;
report can be downloaded from http://minorityaffairs.gov.in/sachar
6. Accommodating National Minorities: the North East and Kashmir
Saikia, P (2011)., ‘Political Opportunities, Constrains and Mobilizing Structures. A differentiated
approach to different levels of Ethno-Political contestation in North-East India’, India Review,
10 (1), 1-39
*Chandoke, N. (2010), ‘When is Secession Justified. The Context of Kashmir, Economic and Political
Weekly, 13 November, xlv, (46), 59-66
Vaish, V. (2011), ‘Negotiating the India-Pakistan Conflict in relation to Kashmir’, International Journal
of World Peace, 28, (3), 53-80
7. Conquering Naxalism and promoting Inclusive Growth
Basu, I. (2011): ‘Security and Development’: are they two sides of the same coin?’ Investigating
India’s two pronged policy towards left wing extremism, Contemporary South Asia, 19, (4), 373-393
Mehra, A.K. (2000), ‘Naxalism in India: Revolution or Terror?’ in Terrorism and Political Violence, 12,
(2), 37-66
*Thorat, S. and Dubai, A (2012). ‘Has Growth been Socially inclusive during 1993-94 --- 2009-10?’,
Economic and Political Weekly, xlvii, No. 10
8. Stable State in an Unstable Environment?
18
Ollapally, D. and Rajagopalan, R. (2011), ‘The pragmatic challenge to Indian foreign policy’, The
Washington Quarterly, Spring, 145-162
Mehta, Pratap Bhanu, (2011), ‘Reluctant India’, Journal of Democracy, 22, (4), 97-109
9. Conclusion: Rising Power or Rising Expectations?
*Sinha, Aseema and Jon P. Dorschner, 2010. “India: Rising Power or a Mere Revolution of Rising
Expectations?” Polity, January 2010, Vol. 42: 1
Mehta, P.B. (2012), ‘How India Stumbled’, Foreign Affairs, 91, (4), 64-75
19
ANNEX 1:
GUIDELINES ON TUTORIAL PRESENTATIONS AND ASSESSMENT
At the first tutorial meeting, students will be divided into four groups of 3-4 students in each
(Groups A, B, C and D).
Members of group A will lead a tutorial discussion in weeks 3 and 8
Members of group B will lead tutorial discussion in weeks 4 and 9
Members of group C will lead tutorial discussions in week 5 and 10
There will be three elements to the tutorial presentations:
Members of the group leading the tutorial should prepare a 15 to maximum 20 minute
powerpoint presentation which directly addresses the tutorial question.
 At the end of the presentation, groups will be asked to answer questions from the rest of the
class, based on their presentations.
 The leading group should then present a set of questions and discussion points to help foster
discussion and debate among the tutorial class.

Assessment:
After each presentation, the moderator in charge will give ONE collective mark that reflects the
collective effort of the group to fulfil each of the requirements above, i.e.: (i) to address their
assigned research question in a clear, concise and engaging presentation; (ii) to respond well to the
questions posed by the rest of the class; (iii) and to lead a vibrant and relevant discussion on this
theme. To this effect, the moderator will prepare a feedback sheet for the group (with a mark), which
will be circulated to each member of the group. A sample of this feedback sheet can be found on the
next page.
Since each group will lead two discussions, the final tutorial mark will be the average mark for two
group presentations. The final tutorial mark will represent 15 percent of the overall mark.
Should one or several members of a group fail to contribute to a group task for non-valid reasons
(i.e. not for illness, bereavement), they can be marked a 0 for the group task. In this case however,
group members who have prepared the presentation should let the course convenor know in
advance and in no case later than on the day of the presentation.
20
SAMPLE TUTORIAL FEEDBACK MARK SHEET
UNDERSTANDING INDIAN POLITICS
GROUP PRESENTATIONS FEEDBACK SHEET
Prepared by Monitor: Dr Wilfried Swenden
GROUP A
Question Addressed:
First
Some factors informing assessment:
Presentation addresses the question set, and with sufficient focus?
Presentation engages critically with the literature and shows grasp
of relevant concepts and knowledge?
Presentation follows a logical and effective pattern of argument?
Presentation supports arguments with examples that are drawn
from the literature on comparative territorial politics
Quality of the power point presentation (clarity, use of visual
images)
Capacity to respond appropriately to questions from the class
Discussion questions that follow from the presentation are clearly
linked to the set question
Group members make sufficient effort to engage their audience
during the discussion
Comments:
Grade:
21
2:1
2:2
3
Fail
ANNEX 2: THE ESSAY
Essay Questions
Choose ONE of the following:
1. Discuss the legacy of colonialism for the politics and institutions of contemporary India.
2. Why does India hold together in spite of its large internal diversity?
3. Is contemporary India truly secular?
4. What has been the effect of OBC and Dalit reservations for the emancipation of lower castes in
Indian politics and society today?
5. What explains the erosion of the Congress Party as India’s natural ruling party?
The essay should be 2,500 words in length (+/- 10%) and is worth 40% of the overall mark for
this course by 12:00 on Friday 7 December 2012 (see page 3 for instructions on how to submit)
Note on Writing Essays
Do the simple things well:

Answer the question. Read the question carefully; work out what you want to say, and make
your points explicitly.

A good introduction shows that you understand the context and significance of the question to
be addressed, and helps the reader by explaining how you will answer it. Each paragraph should
be coherent in itself and in relation to others: pay particular attention to the first sentence of a
paragraph.

Ensure you provide a good explanation of the key concepts addressed by the question and your
argument/analysis.

Avoid description. You should be offering analyses and explanations of political developments,
and informed coherent arguments. You should not be telling the story of what happened, when,
etc.

Your conclusion should be consistent with the material and argument you present. Don't
introduce new ideas into your conclusion - use it to draw together the main strands of your
argument.
Referencing
Use a consistent system of referencing. (Students may find it useful to study the examples used in
textbooks). A popular style is to use the author-date citation in the text, where a work is drawn upon,
either directly in quote form or indirectly by using your own words. The following example, although
not a direct quote, drew upon Gopal Jayal, as its source, and this is referenced accordingly:
Whether India is considered a mature democracy depends very much on how one defines
democracy: purely as a set of institutions (in particular free and fair elections) or as substantive
22
democracy, marked by truly equal citizens who have an equal voice in selecting their leaders
and holding them to account (Gopal Jayal, 2001: 3)
It is good practice to always include page numbers when using references in the text. When quoting
directly, page numbers must be used. Always cite the source from which your information came. Do
not use second-hand sources - consult the original text, where possible.
In addition to author-date citations in the main text, use an alphabetical (by last name) reference
section (bibliography) at the end of the essay. Some examples of different types of sources are given
below.
Bibliography
Adeney, Katherine (2002), ‘Constitutional Centering: Nation Formation and Consociational
Federalism in India and Pakistan,’, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 40, (2002), 3, 8-33
Cohen, S. P., (2002), India: Emerging Power (Washington: Brookings Institution)
Parekh, Bhiku (2008), ‘The Constitution as a Statement of Indian Identity; in Bhargava, R. (ed.)
Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution ( New Delhi: Oxford University Press), 43-58
23
ANNEX 3: THE TAKE HOME EXAM
Instead of a conventional written exam in the May diet, you will be given a take home exam.
In order to avoid clashes with other assessment deadlines, this examination will take place in
week 13 of the Semester, which is right after the reading week. The question paper will be made
available on the morning of Monday April 8st, at 10 am and you have to submit your
completed answers electronically by Thursday
11 April, at 10 am
As for a conventional exam, you will be asked to choose two questions from a list. However,
unlike for a conventional exam, your answers must be
-
-
-
Submitted electronically via Learn by the due date and time. You will lose 5 marks
per half hour past the due date and time and will automatically receive a mark of 0 if you
are more than twenty-four hours late. The submission procedure is exactly the same as
for an essay.
You should clearly specify your exam number at the top of each page; Refrain from
mentioning your matric number or name;
The answers to both of the selected questions must be typed and the answer to each
question should not exceed 1,000 words (references included). In other words, you
should not write more than 2,000 words overall.
Unlike for an essay, you are not expected to provide a large number of academic
references; the number of references per answer should not exceed 8. Since this is a
take home exam you are of course allowed to make use of all possible resources, i.e.
articles, books, web-site information or briefings.
The course convenor will use the standard honours exam feedback sheet for marking the take
home exams. Generic feedback will be provided on the Learn page, but students who wish to see
their individual exam paper can do so by appointment after the marks have been released.
Because of second and external marking this process may not have been completed until the
Exam Board convenes in June. Any marks that have been released prior to that date are by
definition provisional.
24