We the People
Establishing Rights and Deepening Democracy
Nikhil Dey ; Aruna Roy ; Rakshita Swamy
- Who
- are
- the
- people
- of
- India?
- What
- are
- their
- rights?
- What
- are
- their
- claims
- on
- the
- Indian
- Constitution
- and
- on
- democracy?
- As
- a
- part
- of
- Samruddha
- Bharat
- Foundation's
- series
- Rethinking
- India,
- We
- the
- People
- brings
- together
- a
- collection
- of
- essays
- that
- explores
- the
- interesting
- process
- of
- the
- germination
- and
- growth
- of
- undisputed
- universal
- rights,
- and
- of
- them
- being
- developed
- as
- tangible
- entitlements
- in
- India.
- The
- essays
- also
- examine
- the
- continuing
- challenge
- of
- establishing,
- realizing
- and
- protecting
- these
- entitlements.
The
- authors
- are
- academics,
- activists
- and
- practitioners
- with
- a
- strong
- relationship
- with
- social
- movements
- and
- therefore
- uniquely
- placed
- to
- link
- practice
- to
- theory.
- Their
- narratives
- trace
- the
- use
- of
- the
- rights-based
- framework
- of
- the
- Indian
- Constitution
- by
- socio-political
- movements
- in
- order
- to
- strengthen
- the
- economic,
- cultural
- and
- social
- rights
- of
- ordinary
- Indians.
The
- multiple
- perspectives
- draw
- upon
- and
- contextualize
- the
- complex
- relationship
- of
- the
- citizen
- with
- the
- state,
- society
- and
- the
- market
- in
- democratic
- India.
- Their
- sharp
- critiques
- have
- a
- counterpoint
- in
- stories
- of
- creative,
- successful
- alternatives
- designed
- by
- peoples'
- collectives.
- There
- is
- both
- an
- explicit
- and
- implicit
- challenge
- to
- conservative
- notions
- of
- 'market-led
- development'
- that
- see
- competition
- and
- profits
- as
- central
- to
- 'progress'
- and
- success.
- These
- essays
- look
- at
- the
- theoretical
- demands
- for
- changing
- the
- status
- quo,
- but
- also
- for
- working
- out
- the
- nuts
- and
- bolts
- of
- such
- change.
The
- essays
- showcase
- the
- continuing
- dialectic
- between
- established
- constitutional
- rights
- and
- shifting
- state
- policy.
- The
- crisis
- unleashed
- by
- the
- response
- to
- COVID-19
- has
- exposed
- the
- fault
- lines
- of
- this
- dilemma
- dramatically.
- It
- is
- an
- irony
- that
- when
- the
- government
- has
- to
- exponentially
- expand
- its
- capacity
- to
- deliver
- health,
- employment
- and
- food
- to
- people,
- it
- has
- no
- recourse
- but
- to
- the
- framework
- of
- the
- same
- rights-based
- legislation
- it
- has
- constantly
- tried
- to
- run
- down.
- These
- essays
- provide
- invaluable
- insight
- at
- a
- time
- when
- many
- sacred
- pillars
- of
- neoliberal
- 'globalization'
- are
- crumbling,
- and
- the
- capitalist
- superstructure
- is
- itself
- turning
- to
- the
- state
- for
- survival.
- They
- will
- promote
- understanding,
- scholarship
- and
- enliven
- debates
- as
- we
- continue
- to
- search
- for
- answers
- in
- uncertain
- and
- challenging times.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
