Politics in India

This course will introduce undergraduates to the politics of India. What does it mean to be democratic in a poor country with diverse identities? And how has India balanced growth with equity? In order to familiarise students with facts, we begin with chronological history: the colonial period (1757-1947), Nehru era (1947-64), Indira era (1965-1984) and the contemporary period (1985-2014). We then focus on concepts: the state, democracy, identity & ethnicity, regional politics, and social movements. The final weeks are on the Modi era (2014 to now), applying our learnings to the present day.