For Democracy

For Democracy

This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. ‘Crusaders’ for Democracy Aspirations and tensions in transparency activism in India Gaia von Hatzfeldt PhD in Social Anthropology The University of Edinburgh 2014 Declaration I declare that, except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is entirely my own work, and that no part of it has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Gaia von Hatzfeldt 2014 i This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Christian and Verena Hatzfeldt ii Abstract Through an ethnographic study of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) – an organisation renowned for its persistent fight against corruption in India – this thesis explores the aspirations and tensions of anti-corruption activists. In their commitment to improving governance structures by means of campaigning for transparency and accountability laws and policies, these activists ultimately aspire to strengthen democratic practice and to improve statecraft. By studying in detail the forms of actions, dynamics, politics and relationships among anti-corruption activists, the thesis explores how ideas of the state and democracy come to be internalised and addressed by civil society actors. The context is the nation-wide anti-corruption agitation that swept the country through most of 2011. This agitation gave rise to friction between civil society actors otherwise working for similar ends, leading to tension and competition on what constitutes democratic process and procedure. Based on extensive fieldwork, the thesis examines the ways in which MKSS responded to the shifting political landscape of anti-corruption activism. Drawing on the notion of relationality, I argue that political positions and identities are shaped and consolidated circumstantially through an oppositional stance and through processes of ‘othering’. In considering the diverging understandings of democracy among civil society actors, this thesis seeks to expand ethnographically the theoretical concept of ‘agonistic pluralism’ (Mouffe 1999), that postulates that political conflict and disagreement is not only integral, but, moreover, crucial to democratic debate. Based on this conceptualisation, the conflict over the meaning of democracy among the anti-corruption activists is considered here as creating space for the expansion and enrichment of democratic debate. The very essence of democracy in India, as will be concluded, is constituted by such a productive tension. iii Table of Contents Declaration ................................................................................................... i! Abstract ...................................................................................................... iii! Glossary of acronyms................................................................................. vi! Glossary of terms ...................................................................................... vii! Acknowledgment ......................................................................................... x! Introduction ...................................................................................................1! Metanarratives and Ethnography ..............................................................11! The Embedded State and Democracy ......................................................19! Chapter Outline .........................................................................................44! Methodology................................................................................................47! Positionality and Ethics..............................................................................58! 1. A ‘Grassroots’ Social Movement ...........................................................67! History of a Social Movement for Transparency........................................71! Part I: Early Days in Rural Rajasthan ........................................................73! Part II: Public Hearings and the Campaign for RTI ...................................83! The Discursive Field of MKSS...................................................................93! Conclusion.................................................................................................98! 2. A ‘Technical’ Social Movement............................................................101! The ‘Silenced’ Story of NCPRI ................................................................106! Temporality of the Political Landscape....................................................116! Blurring Boundaries .................................................................................118! Conclusion...............................................................................................122! 3. Competing to Speak for ‘Civil Society’ ...............................................125! Publicised Discord: Team Anna as Undemocratic ..................................131! Personalised Discord: Internal Rivalry.....................................................144! Conclusion...............................................................................................159! iv 4. Performing ‘Civil Society’: Public Consultation in Action ................161! Off-Stage Preparation..............................................................................165! On-Stage Performance............................................................................173! Conclusion...............................................................................................188! 5. Ideals and Disenchantment: Diagnosing Commitment.....................193! The Mud Hut............................................................................................195! The Morality of Funding...........................................................................206! Cynicism or Commitment? ......................................................................217! Conclusion...............................................................................................222! 6. Agonistic Democracy: Endurance of the Gandhi and Nehru legacy225! The Legacies of Gandhi and Nehru.........................................................227! The Gandhi and Nehru Comeback..........................................................238! The Democratic Paradox and Agonistic Pluralism ..................................252! Conclusion...............................................................................................257! Conclusion.................................................................................................261! Bibliography ..............................................................................................269! v Glossary of acronyms AAP Aam Aadmi Party BJP Bharatiya Janata Party IAC India Against Corruption IAS Indian Administrative Service ICDS Integrated Child Development Services MKSS Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan MP Member of Parliament NAC National Advisory Council NCPRI National Campaign for People’s Right to Information NREGA National Rural Employment Guarantee Act OB van Outside Broadcast Van PDS Public Distribution System PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh SMS Short Message Service SR Abhiyan Suchna Evam Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan SWRC Social Work and Research Centre VIP Very Important Person vi Glossary of terms aam aadmi common man Abhiyan Campaign Angrezi English, foreign anpadh Uneducated arya samaj Hindu reform movement Bache Children bankia trumpet-like instrument Benami transaction, contract, or property Bhajan Hindu devotional song bharat mata Mother India bhay Fear bhuk Hunger Brashtachar Corruption Chamcha literally, spoon; idiomatically, sycophant chapati unleavened flatbread Chokidar night guard Chula burner made out of clay Crore unit of measure that equals ten million Dan donations, gift dharma (Indian religion) the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things dharna sit-in demonstration dholak hand drum gram panchayat local self-government institution at the village level – the base of the three-tier decentralised system vii gram sabha committees of all the adult citizen voters of the village gram sansad village parliament jan sunwai public hearing Janmadin Birthday janta durbar public hearing Kheer rice pudding lakh unit of measure that equals one hundred thousand lasan chutney garlic chutney lok sabha lower house of parliament Lokpal ombudsman (in Sanskrit: ‘caretaker of people’) ma-bap Parents Mazdoor wage labourer Mela fair, gathering, meeting mohalla sabha neighbourhood committees Nalayak Incompetent Neta Politician Nirvana a spiritual place of perfect peace and happiness pajama kurta garments worn by men panchayat village council panchayati raj

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