Accusations of Corruption: A Cautionary Tale from Indian Tobacco Auctions
The Indian public believes corruption among public officials to be endemic and an indictment of the state’s failures of transparency. Against this backdrop, there is nothing exceptional about the recurrent accusations of corruption against the Tobacco Board, the state regulatory authority that mediates auctions for cigarette tobacco in India. During my fieldwork on Board-regulated auction floors in Andhra Pradesh in 2016, such accusations were frequently used by both private-sector tobacco traders and tobacco farmers to question state actions in the markets.
Onward! Forging the Narikuravars’ Political Path to Scheduled Tribe Status
In early December 2022, the Lok Sabha and RS voted to grant the Narikuravar (with a proposed name change to Narikoravan) and Kuruvikkaran communities Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The bill, which received the assent of the President on January 2, 2023, has been declared a victory by the Narikuravar community, who stated that “this is the first time our request has been officially approved by the Indian government and passed both houses of Parliament. We are thankful to the politicians who engaged in this matter.
India at 75, CASI at 30
Hindutva Futures and the Making of "India"
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Hurt Sentiments and the Making and Unmaking of Indian Secularism
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Milna Julna: Pleasures, Pauses, and Pliant Patriarchies in Working Class Women’s Migrant Lives in India
(English captions & Hindi subtitles available)
The EWS Reservation: The Caste People vs. The Poor
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Planning Democracy: Modern India’s Quest for Development
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Crooked Cats: Beastly Encounters in the Anthropocene
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