Objective
The objective of the Seminar is to bring together
contributions from young academics and intellectuals
who share our concerns about the growing socio-economic
disparities in India under the neoliberal regime,
the resultant marginalization of the poor and the
oppressed and the sheer absence of any empathy towards
them in the mainstream political and cultural discourse.
In a context where the economic, cultural and political
domination of globalised capital, which underlies
the neoliberal hegemony, is being questioned across
the world with renewed commitment and vigour by the
students and the youth, the young critical minds in
India definitely have a role to play. The Seminar
intends to provide a platform, cutting across the
boundaries of academic disciplines, to all those who
are willing to rigorously analyze and critique the
existing neoliberal order and discuss the possibilities
of change in the Indian context.
Themes
The topic of a paper should address at least one of
the questions that have been posed under the themes
below.
I. The State, Markets and
the People under the Neoliberal Regime
Liberalization in India had promised to unshackle
the Indian Economy from the "license-quota raj"
and usher in an era of high growth through integration
with the global economy. Has it delivered on the promises?
What has been the economic fallout of the decade-and-a-half
of neoliberal "reforms"? Have the withdrawal
of the state and the greater role played by the market
forces benefitted the agricultural, industrial and
services sectors? Have financial and trade liberalization
led to higher investment and growth? Have the macroeconomic
policies of the state during the "reforms"
period led to better economic and societal outcomes?
What has been the impact of such "reforms"
on employment, poverty, gender disparities and income
inequality?
II. Economic Growth under
Neoliberalism and People’s Development
Questions related to the trajectory of growth and
development under "reforms" need to be posed.
Is the economic growth experienced in India today
a balanced one? Do the fruits of economic growth automatically
trickle down to ensure overall development of the
people, especially the poor? Is privatization compatible
with social justice? Can reservation for dalits in
the private sector make the growth process more inclusive?
What about reservation for religious and ethnic minorities?
What has happened to regional inequalities in India;
are the backward states catching up? Is the current
pattern of urbanization sustainable? Can the new technologies,
especially Information Technology, solve the developmental
problems faced by India? Is India on a sustainable
path with regards to resources like water and energy?
What are the environmental costs of this pattern of
growth and development?
III. Democracy and Peoples’
Rights in the Neoliberal Era
The Lok Sabha elections of 2004 have thrown up several
important questions. The Wall Street Journal for instance
editorially remarked that the people of India had
committed a mistake and raised doubts over the market-friendliness
of Indian-style democracy. The question arises therefore
whether democracy in India is at all compatible with
the neoliberal reforms that the state and the ruling
classes have been pursuing? Are we witnessing a creeping
authoritarianism and rollback of democracy? Has the
democratic process been able to include oppressed
groups like women, dalits, adivasis, minorities, etc.?
Are there linkages between neoliberalism and the growth
of communalism? Has the threat of communalism receded
with the defeat of the BJP in the 2004 Elections?
How do we effectively deal with terrorism? Are anti-terror
laws that curb civil liberties unavoidable in today’s
context?
IV. Neoliberal Ideology,
Media, and the Culture Industry
Along with the ascendancy of neoliberal ideology a
discernible transformation has taken place in the
media and culture industry. The key features of that
transformation need to be analyzed and critiqued.
Is the media totally driven by the market and advertisements?
Can objectivity be expected from the media? Does the
print and electronic media only play an ideological
role in "manufacturing consent" for the
neoliberal regime? Do they play any critical role?
What about films, literature and performing arts?
Is there any scope left for the lives and aspirations
of the common people to be represented and expressed
through the dominant cultural modes? Is culture synonymous
with entertainment? Is there a tendency towards commodification
and homogenization, and are diversities being destroyed
in the process? What has happened to the local and
folk cultures?
V. Resistance to Neoliberalism:
People’s Movements and Alternatives
The recent times have witnessed serious challenges
being posed to the neoliberal regime in India from
diverse quarters. What are the models of resistance
and popular mobilization open to us? Have the conventional
mobilization strategies of the Left – the working
class party, the General Strike, etc. – become passé?
Are the Left Parties being able to use their enhanced
Parliamentary strength and crucial outside support
to the UPA Government to rein in the neoliberal juggernaut
and articulate policy alternatives? Is the Left in
India restricted to the Left Parties? Is identity-based
political mobilization of the oppressed the way out?
What are the potentials and limitations of NGOs? What
are the other political and social forces which seek
to resist the neoliberal order and build alternatives?
Is a coalition of such forces possible in the current
conjuncture? What can be the contours of such an alternative?
Specifications
The Seminar would be held in New Delhi between 4–6
April 2006. The topic of a paper should be within
the framework of the specified themes. The paper should
be an original work which has not been published before.
Paper length should be between 3500 to 5000 words.
Soft copies in Word/Openoffice format can be e-mailed
at leftword@gmail.com or hard copies mailed to the
LeftWord address. The last date for submission of
papers is 31st January 2006. Papers are invited from
researchers and activists under the age of 35 (as
on 31 January 2006).
The LeftWord editorial collective would select the
papers and the selected contributors would be invited
to present their papers in the Seminar. The Seminar
Organizing Committee would provide to-and-fro travel
expense, accommodation, and a modest per diem to the
selected contributors. The Seminar papers may be considered
for publication by LeftWord.
Contact Us
LeftWord Books
12 Rajendra Prasad Road
New Delhi - 110001.
India.
Phone: 91 - 11 - 2335 6966, 98912 52317, 5536 0598.
+ 91 - 98183 07909,
Email: leftword@gmail.com
and leftword@vsnl.com
December 3, 2005.
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