Anthropology

Understanding Contemporary India

Module code: L6057D
Level 6
30 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Seminar
Assessment modes: Not yet finalised

This module introduces students to some key contemporary debates in the study of South Asian societies, with a focus on India. Starting with an interrogation of anthropological representations of South Asia, the module will explore debates about caste and hierarchy, leading to a discussion of everyday experiences of caste and its changing meaning and importance in contemporary India. It will question why bonded labour, patronage, inequality and poverty are so persistent in one of the world's fastest growing regions. It will explore how neoliberal policies and ideologies are reshaping South Asian subjectivity and society. The module will then turn to the politics of identity as shaped by class, caste and religious affiliations. It will explore the rise of the middle classes and its links with consumption, urban restructuring and the new enterprise culture, as well as its implications for growing inequalities of class and wealth. It will look into religious and communal identity formation and conflict, and will explore the nature of popular religion in South Asia. Finally, the module will look at the role of the state and politics in the making of contemporary South Asia. The state will be considered as a key actor in the shaping of neoliberal policies and ideologies, as a terrain of patronage and politics, and as the deliverer of new social welfare policies. Assessement: 7,000 word dissertation.