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Communism, Subaltern Studies and Postcolonial Theory COMMUNISM, SUBALTERN STUDIES AND POSTCOLONIAL THEORY This book is a thematic history of the communist movement in Kerala, the first major region (in terms of population) in the world to democratically elect a communist government. It analyzes the nature of the transformation brought about by the communist movement in Kerala, and what its implications could be for other postcolonial societies. The volume engages with the key theoretical concepts in postcolonial theory and Subaltern Studies, and contributes to the debate between Marxism and postcolonial theory, especially its recent articulations. The volume presents a fresh empirical engagement with theoretical critiques of Subaltern Studies and postcolonial theory, in the context of their decades-long scholarship in India. It discusses important thematic moments in Kerala’s communist history which include—the processes by which it established its hegemony, its cultural interventions, the institution of land reforms and workers’ rights, and the democratic decentralization project, and, ultimately, communism’s incomplete national-popular and its massive failures with regard to the caste question. A significant contribution to scholarship on democracy and modernity in the Global South, this volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, specifically political theory, democracy and political participation, political sociology, development studies, postcolonial theory, Subaltern Studies, Global South Studies and South Asia Studies. Nissim Mannathukkaren is Associate Professor in the International Development Studies Department at Dalhousie University, Canada. He is the author of the book The Rupture with Memory: Derrida and the Specters That Haunt Marxism (2006). His research has been published in journals such as Citizenship Studies, Journal of Peasant Studies, Third World Quarterly, Economic and Political Weekly, Journal of Critical Realism, International Journal of the History of Sport, Dialectical Anthropology, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies and Sikh Formations. He is a regular op-ed contributor to the English-language press in India. COMMUNISM, SUBALTERN STUDIES AND POSTCOLONIAL THEORY The Left in South India Nissim Mannathukkaren First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Nissim Mannathukkaren The right of Nissim Mannathukkaren to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-1-138-05679-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-05055-3 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-19579-5 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by Apex CoVantage, LLC To Ammachi and Appachen for being the “Grace” and “Joy” of my life CONTENTS Acknowledgments viii List of abbreviations x Introduction 1 1 Subaltern Studies, postcolonial theory and communism 22 2 Socialist beginnings 77 3 Towards communism 122 4 Questioning autonomy: relinking art and society 176 5 The rise of the popular in culture 220 6 Redistribution and recognition: the land reforms and the workers’ act 251 7 Reconstituting the political: the People’s Plan 295 8 The incomplete national-popular 356 Conclusion 408 Index 431 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book has accumulated a lot of debt from many people in their unstint- ing support in various ways. It would not have been possible without all the help rendered by Andalat, librarian at AKG Centre for Research and Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, for pointing to sources and procuring much valuable research material. I am grateful to him for going much beyond his call of duty. His own voluminous and painstaking compilations of original and inaccessible material on the communist movement as well as his own oral survey of subaltern Communist activists from the early period have been significant and are a vital source for those interested in research. The book would also not have been possible without the kindness shown by Pachu Ashan for sharing time as well as unpublished writings about his own experiences in the communist movement. Both Andalat and Pachu Ashan are sadly deceased. I thank Queen’s University and Dalhousie University for grants which aided the research process. Jayant Lele’s wisdom and unfailing encouragement throughout have proven invaluable in bringing this work to fruition. I have benefited immensely from conversations with him over the years as well as by reading his work. The seeds of this book were sown by grappling with, and being influenced by, his very original theoretical framework and his ruminations on “tradition” and “modernity.” I also take this opportunity to thank Elea- nor McDonald and Grant Amyot for their critical inputs and suggestions when this work was in its rudimentary stages. I thank the staff at Kerala State Archives,Thiruvananthapuram; Kozhikode Regional Archives, Kozhikode; Tamil Nadu Archives, Chennai; National Archives of India, New Delhi; Nehru Memorial and Museum Library, New Delhi; Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala Sah- itya Akademi, Thrissur, and The British Library, London. I am very thankful to M. A. Jose, Kavita Krishnan, J. Devika, Vijayan, Vijoo Krishnan, Surjit Esthose and Prasenjit Bose for all their help during the course of this research. Anil Varughese has been a great sounding board, and I have gained many insights from discussions with Shajahan Madampat and Joseph Tharaman- galam. I owe a special gratitude to Ravi Raman, Yasser Arafath and John viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Roosa for reading parts of the manuscript and making very valuable com- ments. I thank Rajin Khan and Mitherayee Augustine for their meticulous assistance. Theresa Ulicki, John Cameron, Matthew Schnurr, Robert Huish, Ajay Parasram, Marian MacKinnon and Nicole Drysdale have been the most wonderful colleagues to work with and a great source of support. I thank Taylor and Francis Ltd. for the permission to include material from the following articles authored by me: “The ‘Poverty’ of Political Society: Partha Chatterjee and the People’s Plan Campaign in Kerala, India,” Third World Quarterly, March 1, 2010, 31 (2); “Postcolonialism and Modernity,” Journal of Critical Realism, October 29, 2010, 9 (3); “Redistribution and Recognition: Land Reforms in Kerala and the Limits of Culturalism,” Jour - nal of Peasant Studies, March 1, 2011 (38), 2; “The Rise of the National- Popular and Its Limits: Communism and the Cultural in Kerala,” Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, December 1, 2013, 14 (4). Aakash Chakrabarty and Brinda Sen at Taylor and Francis, Ltd., New Delhi, have been immensely patient. My brother, Ashim, sister-in-law, Reena, and niece and nephew, Kunjulak- shmi and Kunjikannan, have been a pillar of strength. Finally, I thank Anu, Polu and Ashi for showing me, every waking moment, the world of manifold colors outside the world of books. Nissim Mannathukkaren Halifax, January 2021 ix ABBREVIATIONS ABYS Abhinav Bharat Yuvak Sangh ADB Asian Development Bank ADS Area Development Societies AICC All India Congress Committee AMKS All Malabar Karshaka Sangham AMPU All-Malabar Peasants Union ATTUC All Travancore Trade Union Congress BJP Bharatiya Janata Party BPL Below Poverty Line BSP Bahujan Samaj Party CDS Community Development Societies CIA Central Intelligence Agency CID Central Intelligence Department CITU Centre of India Trade Unions CPI Communist Party of India CPI (M) Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union CSDS Centre for the Study of Developing Societies CSP Congress Socialist Party DM District Magistrate ESZs Eco-Sensitive Zones FC Forward Caste GDP Gross Domestic Product HDI Human Development Index IHDS India Human Development Survey IPTA Indian People’s Theater Association KARB Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill KAWA Kerala Agricultural Workers’ Act KKS Kerala Karshaka Sangham KLRAA Kerala Land Reforms Amendment Act KMPP Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party x ABBREVIATIONS KPAC Kerala People’s Arts Club KPCC Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee KPMS Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha KRA Kozhikode Regional Archives KRPLLD Kerala Research Programme on Local Level Development KSA Kerala State Archives KSKTU Kerala Karshaka Thozhilali Union KSSP Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishath LDF Left Democratic Front MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly MSP Malabar Special Police NAI National Archives of India NGO Non-Governmental Organization NHGs Neighborhood Groups NMML Nehru Memorial Museum and Library NSS Nair Service Society OBCs Other Backward Classes PLM Progressive Literature Movement PTI Press Trust of India RI Rigorous Imprisonment RSP Revolutionary Socialist Party RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh SCs Scheduled Castes SDP State Domestic Product SHGs
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