Humanities and Social Sciences

Prof. Rajeshwari Deshpande
Professor, Department of Politics & Public Administration Savitribai Phule Pune University

About the Theme

In India the process of state-building was substantially challenging and complicated. India had to dissociate herself from the experiences of the authoritarian colonial state and had to emerge as a developmental state committed equally to all its citizens. There were number of other challenges including the integration of diverse subject into such a political community that would be united and yet diverse. Has the Indian state been able to keep the promises she had made to her citizens? Is there any change in the character of Indian state in recent times? These are some of the questions that Professor Rajeshwari Deshpande would address in her talk.

Theme of this Webinar series

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences has organized the Indian Democracy Webinar Series to facilitate a nuanced understanding of the ideas that shape our collective existence. How did India experiment with these ideas that were closely associated with the advent of western modernity?  What were the creative departures that India took while incorporating these ideas into a historically and materially different reality? In what way do these departures help to sustain India’s democracy? Or did they create any hindrance for the smooth functioning of a democratic political system. What changes have these political ideas undergone in recent times? And what are the implications of these changes for Indian democracy? These are some of the critical questions that this webinar series proposes to address.