The University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute is hosting a workshop for colleagues across the network to discuss works-in-progress. Participants will be invited to read one another’s submitted papers, which will be circulated in advance of the meeting, and provide their feedback during the workshop.

The workshop is free to attend and a catered lunch will be provided. All University of Nottingham staff and PGRs are welcome to attend, including those not giving papers; however, we do ask that all attendees read and provide feedback on the papers which have been submitted.

Papers

‘Majoritarianism in South Asia’
Author: Katharine Adeney
Discussant: Victor Kattan
Abstract:

Our paper lays out our understanding of majority nationalisms in South Asia, reviewing the rise of majority nationalism globally and link this to parallel debates on the rise of populism and the process of democratic backsliding, which some authors have also linked to the (crisis of) capitalism and the unfulfilled promise of economic globalization.

It will identify similarities with and differences to the ‘Western’ interpretations and manifestations of majority nationalism, e.g., populism and populist leaders are not new phenomena in South Asia. Furthermore, in India, the rise of majoritarianism has also coincided with a deepening of the democratic base linked to the incorporation of non-dominant caste groups in the political process and the vernacularization of the media. At the same time, majoritarianism has challenged the liberal attributes of democracy across the subcontinent; it has been used to cut back civil liberties, such as limiting the freedom of expression or association and to restrict citizen access to alternative sources of information. By framing opposition to majoritarian views as ‘anti-national’ in all three countries it has also sought to delegitimise the voice of political opposition. Therefore, the entrenchment of majoritarian nationalism has had important implications for the working and health of democracy in the subcontinent.

Our paper will identify channels which have been used to diffuse majority nationalism e.g., social media and the influence of the South Asian diaspora and conclude with a brief justification of our focus on 21st century South Asia by linking contemporary debates/challenges back to the decisions taken at their birth.

‘Island Development and Tribal Welfare: Mapping the History of Aang Survival in the Andaman Islands’
Author: Uditi Sen
Discussant: Stephen Legg 
Abstract:

The Aang tribe of the Andaman Islands are better known as the 'Jarawa', which literally means 'others' in the language of their rival tribal group, the Great Andamanese. The latter were 'friendly' and aided the British and then the Indian administration in tracking the Jarawa in expeditions into the dense tropical forests. These expeditions ranged from punitive hunts to protect the settled society of Andaman Islands from Jarawa attacks, to contact missions designed to befriend them. Seen as implacably hostile since the 1880s, the Aang finally laid down their bows and arrows in 1997.

This paper attempts to historicise and complicate this popular narrative of successful befriending, by exploring how shifts in policy and technologies of governance intersected with shifting strategies of survival authored in a deeply iniquitous landscape of power.   

Agenda 

12.30-13.30 – Lunch

13.30-13.45 – Welcome

13.45-14.30 – Katharine Adeney - “Majoritarianism in South Asia”

14.30-15.15 – Uditi Sen - “Island Development and Tribal Welfare: Mapping the History of Aang Survival in the Andaman Islands”

15.15-15.30 – Round up

15.30 onwards – Informal drinks at Bramley’s Bar, The Orchard Hotel (first round provided)