Pluralities

Contested Space and Identity in the Indian Northeast, by the Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia

The book, a result of a conference, is a kaleidoscope of richly textured and well thought-out positions, highlighting, in a structured way, political, legal, historical, philosophical, gendered and psycho-social aspects of the situation in the Northeast region of India. The papers are grouped in three main categories, namely: the role of the state and non-state actors in the politics of the Northeast; the shifting paradigms of identity and community in the borderlands; and the variable of perception in the calculation of peace.

Pakistan - Reality, Denial and the Complexity of its State

This publication is designed to provide a differentiated view of Pakistan’s complex political processes and social challenges to a broad international audience. Authors from a variety of disciplines present their analyses of Pakistan’s deficits and shortcomings, as well as their ideas and visions for a more democratic and peaceful future.

Women in Electoral Politics

Although women from almost 50% of the country’s population, their representation in the Parliament and State Legislatures has been depressingly low even after sixty years of Independence. So is the case with Maharashtra, one of the states in the forefront of Indian politics since the days of freedom struggle. The aim of the project is to study the status of political participation of women in Maharashtra and ascertain the reasons for the inability of the State’s women to enter the legislative Assembly in more numbers than at present. The inquiry also proposes to look into the present status of the All Women parties that were launched earlier. The study also touches on the socio-economic background of some of the women who could make it to the Assembly in the past and what criteria are followed by the political parties in selecting their women candidates.