India and Democracy : Promotion and Electoral Participation of the Low Castes and of the Untouchables
Globalization and democratic governance | India and democracy : promotion and electoral participation of the low castes and of the Untouchables. | | | | Semester one – 2012 | |
Table of contents Introduction: India and the system of castes. 2 I) The promotion of the low castes and the untouchables within the Indian political system: a "Silent revolution". 4 1) The processes of positive discrimination towards the untouchables: a political and social promotion at first limited which does not question the domination of elites. 5 2) The difficult expansion of the measures of positive discrimination towards the other low castes. 8 3) The advent of the caste inside the Indian political system and the effective promotion of the low castes and the untouchables. 10 II) The political and electoral participation of the low castes and the untouchables: general elements and case study. 13 1) The vote of the low castes and the untouchables or the necessity to overstep the illiteracy. 13 2) The electoral participation of the low castes and the untouchables: a community vote? 15 3) Case study: Kumari Mayawati and the political participation of the low castes and the untouchables. 17 Conclusion: The future of the low castes and the untouchables in India. 19 Bibliography: 20
Introduction: India and the system of castes. Nowadays, India is a country internationally recognized for the quality and the health of its democracy. India is indeed a democracy endowed with a stable parliamentary system for more than half a century and even a democracy with alternating for more than twenty five years. Besides, the justice is there independent, the political parties tend to pluralism and the press is free. India thus verifies for more than sixty years essential criteria of democracy, what makes it a unique case among developing countries. However, if the effective political democratization of India can’t be denied, the social
Table of contents Introduction: India and the system of castes. 2 I) The promotion of the low castes and the untouchables within the Indian political system: a "Silent revolution". 4 1) The processes of positive discrimination towards the untouchables: a political and social promotion at first limited which does not question the domination of elites. 5 2) The difficult expansion of the measures of positive discrimination towards the other low castes. 8 3) The advent of the caste inside the Indian political system and the effective promotion of the low castes and the untouchables. 10 II) The political and electoral participation of the low castes and the untouchables: general elements and case study. 13 1) The vote of the low castes and the untouchables or the necessity to overstep the illiteracy. 13 2) The electoral participation of the low castes and the untouchables: a community vote? 15 3) Case study: Kumari Mayawati and the political participation of the low castes and the untouchables. 17 Conclusion: The future of the low castes and the untouchables in India. 19 Bibliography: 20
Introduction: India and the system of castes. Nowadays, India is a country internationally recognized for the quality and the health of its democracy. India is indeed a democracy endowed with a stable parliamentary system for more than half a century and even a democracy with alternating for more than twenty five years. Besides, the justice is there independent, the political parties tend to pluralism and the press is free. India thus verifies for more than sixty years essential criteria of democracy, what makes it a unique case among developing countries. However, if the effective political democratization of India can’t be denied, the social
Bibliography: Assayag Jackie, ‘’La caste entre histoire et anthropologie, le ‘’grand jeu’’ interprétatif’’, Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, 2003/4 58e année, p. 815-830. Jaffrelot Christophe, ‘’Voter en Inde : symboles électoraux, système de partis et vote non individuel’’, Revue Française de Sciences Politiques, 1993/43 no 2, pp. 301-316. Jaffrelot Christophe, ‘’Inde : l 'avènement politique de la caste’’, Critique internationale, 2002/4 no 17, p. 131-144. Jaffrelot Christophe, ‘’L’inde comme démocratie de marché ?’’, Le Débat, 2005/5 no 137, pp. 23-39. Jaffrelot Christophe, ‘’Vers une désethnicisation de la politique en Inde ? La persistance du vote de caste’’, Critique Internationale, 2011/2 no 51, pp. 53-73. Raphaël Gutmann, ‘’Le paradoxe Mayawati : instrumentalisation identitaire et normalité indienne’’, Politique étrangère, 2009/3, pp. 597-607. Stern Henri, ‘’Le Pouvoir dans l 'Inde traditionnelle : territoire, caste et parenté. Approche théorique et étude régionale (Rajasthan)’’, L 'Homme, 1973, tome 13 n°1-2, pp. 50-70. [ 2 ]. Jaffrelot Christophe, ‘’Inde : l 'avènement politique de la caste’’, Critique internationale, 2002/4 no 17, p. 131-144. [ 3 ]. Gopal Krishna ‘’One Party Dominance, Development and Trends’’, in Party System and Election Studies, Bombay, Allied Publishers, 1967, pp. 41-42. [ 4 ]. John Kahn, “India’s Anti-Obama”, Newsweek, April 18th, 2009.