CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Sudetic, Sara |
|---|---|
| Title | 'From citizen to subject': Governmentality and the Politics of Internal Displacement in post-2002 Ahmedabad (Gujarat) |
| Summary | Situated in the field of nationalism studies, this thesis aims to broaden our understanding of ethnic violence by focusing on the structural nature of communalism following the 2002 riots in Gujarat. By analysing the responses of state and non-state actors to the crisis of internal displacement in post-2002 Ahmedabad, this thesis unpacks the power dynamics within a localised ‘refugee regime’ through the prism of Foucault’s concept of governmentality. Based on a month-long fieldwork in Ahmedabad in April 2015, this thesis maps out the topography of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in a post-riot context, reflecting on the role institutions play in boundary creation and maintenance. Stepping beyond an analysis of Hindutva discourses on minorities, it puts forward the mechanisms through which Hindu nationalism has seeped into the daily working of state institutions – degrading the Muslim minority from citizen to subject by excluding them from full citizenship rights and mainstream urban space. By examining the response of civil society organisations, this thesis puts forward their important role in shaping dynamics within the relief colony. Finally, an examination of the impact of the state on civil society is undertaken, analysing how non-governmental organisations are governed through limitations on foreign funding and the strength of a Hindu nationalist discourse. By analysing these three relationships, this thesis puts forward the important role of the state in the field of internal displacement in Ahmedabad: although it has been described as ‘passive’ or ‘neglectful’, the state is very much present, simultaneously exerting its power through discourse and bureaucracy. |
| Supervisor | Pelinka, Anton; Stewart, Michael; Rajaram, Prem |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/sudetic_sara.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University