Ambassadorial Cosmopolitanism: An Application of Gandhian Thought on Climate Change in the Indian Context by Chandrachur Singh A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Political Science and International Studies School of Government and Society College of Social Sciences University of Birmingham December 2016 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract Cosmopolitanism has become highly influential in political theory, philosophy, sociology and other disciplines over the past several decades. In political theory, cosmopolitans have given strong emphasis to universal moral principles and relatively strong duties which cross national boundaries. Thus, many cosmopolitan prescriptions would require some significant changes in attitude and actions from the status quo. Because of this, one of the persistent challenges to the practical application of cosmopolitan principles has been in identifying ways to motivate support for them. This thesis develops a possible answer to the problem of cosmopolitan motivation, in the form of a rooted cosmopolitanism which gives emphasis to the roles that ‘cosmopolitan ambassadors’ could play. The Ambassadorial Cosmopolitan approach presented here emphasizes ways in which support for domestic policy consistent with cosmopolitanism could be generated through (a) highlighting and reinforcing the cosmopolitan strains within existing national traditions and (b) by demonstrating how the ideas of revered national figures connect in significant ways with cosmopolitan principles. The theory is applied in the context of policy action to combat harmful climate change. The exemplar state is India, and the exemplar ambassador is Mahatma Gandhi. The thesis establishes important connections between cosmopolitan theory and Gandhi’s highly influential thought on social change and ethical life practices. It shows how such connections could be used in the Indian context. The final chapter indicates some other contexts where Ambassadorial Cosmopolitanism could also be applied. i To Babujee (My Father) In the Loving Memory of My Father who left us just a day before the Submission of this Thesis. ii Acknowledgements Writing a PhD thesis is a challenging but an immensely satisfying experience at the end of it. Whilst the challenges emanate from our cognitive limitations, the satisfying elements arise from the love and support received from family and friends. My endeavour of doing a PhD has not been any exception to this general rule till the day of its submission, when the devastating news of my father’s demise reached me. At this moment however, I would like to place on record my sincerest thanks and heartfelt gratitude for all the debts and obligations that I have incurred in the process, and in the absence of which, I could not have ever, realized this long-cherished dream of mine. I express my profoundest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Ross Abbinnett, who took over the supervisory role after Dr Luis Cabrera’s departure from the University of Birmingham. I am thankful to him for believing in the viability of the project and for providing me with the critically important, moral and intellectual support for completing it. Dr Abbinneett’s constant encouragements, his enlightening and innovative suggestion and above all his belief in my abilities have been instrumental in getting me up to here. His words, ‘It will be done, whatever it takes’ are still resonating in my mind. I take this opportunity to express my sincerest and heartfelt gratitude to Dr Luis Cabrera with whom this endeavour began. The first two years of this research were spent directly under his insightful guidance. I am indeed, grateful to him for his extensive feedback, constructive criticisms and thought provoking comments. Even after leaving the University of Birmingham, Dr Cabrera’s has been unwavering in his support. I must say that the thesis wouldn’t have been what it is, but for his massive support. It will certainly not be any exaggeration to say that Dr Cabrera’s role in the completion of this thesis has been ‘fundamental’. I am really at loss of words in expressing my profoundest gratitude to him for all his patience support and commitments. Special thanks are also due to my co-supervisor, Dr. Sevasti-Eleni Vezirgiannidou for her support and help. I gratefully acknowledge the funding received for my doctoral research from the School of Government and Society at the University of Birmingham. I would iii also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the wonderful members of the research support team at POLSIS comprising of Tricia Carr, Jas Sihre and Sandra Glenn for their remarkable help. I express my gratitude to Prof Ashoka Acharya at the University of Delhi for putting his trust in me and facilitating my entry at the University of Birmingham. From the bottom of my heart, I thank Prof. Barbara Fawcett, Director, International partnerships at the College of Social Sciences. Thanks are also due to Wenwei Woo, Dr Allan Mckinley, Matt Clullee and all other members of the International Relations team at the University of Birmingham for their outstanding camaraderie and team efforts in realizing our set goals. My gratitude also goes to Professor Subrata Mukherjee for initiating me into the world of academia. Special thanks to Mrs Deepa Mukherjee for her motherly love and well- intentioned prodding that actually paved way for this amazing journey. I would like to express my gratitude and deepest appreciations to Dr. Kavita Sharma, my former Principal at Hindu College for being an outstanding and compassionate mentorship especially, during the initial years of my academic career. I must mention my special regards for Shree S N P Punj, Honourable Chairman Hindu College, Governing Board and Dr. Anju Srivastava Principal, Hindu College, for allowing me the necessary leave for completing my research. Words of appreciation are also due to Shri Ashwini Shankar, Member, Hindu College Governing Board. I would also like to place on record the help and support extended to me by a wonderful group of fellow researchers, at the University of Birmingham. My heartfelt thanks to Amrit Rai, Pranay Sinha, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, James Connell, Lauren Traczykowaski, Cherry Miller and Josei Graf. I would also like to thank Gimhyeong-yong, and Alexandra Ola for sharing office space with me. Special thanks to Mr B C Pradhan, Head of Chancery at the Indian Consulate Office at Birmingham (presently Consul General of India at Birgunj, Nepal) and his wonderful family for hosting many late-night discussions. Special thanks to the members of the vibrant Indian community at Birmingham for their encouragement and moral support. Thanks to Mr B D Badan and his wonderful wife Nasseb Badan for their care and familial love. iv I sincerely thank Jaswinder Singh (Jaz) in Birmingham and Ramanand Bhagat, Shambhu Sharan and Randhir Sahay in Delhi for being outstanding friends. Their emotional and logistical help has simply kept me going. I bow down to their camaraderie and friendship. Special thanks are also due to my friends and colleagues at the University of Delhi, especially to Mrs Seema Das, Dr Anuradha Sharma, Dr Niti Bhutani, Dr Shankar Kumar, Dr Rameshwar Rai, Dr Bimlendu Tirthunkar Dr Pradumn Kumar and Dr Kumar Rahul. I am indebted to my family members for their unconditional support, without which, I couldn’t have been able to take up the challenge of doing a PhD. I am thankful to my older brother and younger sister for their support and encouragement. I must express my deepest sense of gratitude to all my brothers and sisters-in- law for their constant encouragement and support. I am deeply appreciative of my eldest sister-in-law Mrs Nina Singh and her wonderful husband, Mr Rohit Singh for inspiring and motivating us to take on additional challenges with ease. I am really fortunate to have such nice and wonderful people around me. I am fondly remembering my late mother and mother-in-law today. I am sure they are happily watching me penning these lines from their heavenly abode. To my father, all I can say is sorry, for not being a caring son. He wanted me to complete this work and return as soon as possible. However, there cannot be any harsher punishment to me than the news of his death, that too on a day, when the thesis is being submitted. I had been hoping that God will have some mercy on me in providing me with at least an opportunity of presenting this work to him in person, not to be. This work is dedicated to the loving memory of my Babujee. To my lovely daughters Srija and Shreemayee, all I can say, is sorry for not being able to devote time for your activities and studies. I promise to compensate for this lapse of mine though. Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to thank my lovely wife Hena Singh, for her unconditional love, and constant encouragement, without which I cannot even move one step forward in my life today. Thank you, Hena, for being