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How has India ‘Modernized’?
I. How is the political system broken down?
a. Family-traditional insurance and social service network
b. Caste-extension of family, dictates social networks, occupation, and kinship. How did the colonial/outsider construction of caste differ from the traditional concept of jati?
c. Linguistic groups-distinguishes communities of shared cultural history and understandability
d. Religious communities-Sikh, Muslim, and Hinduism form the basic religious groups have become social and political rivals from fears of minority status. Can one unified Muslim community be acknowledged since partition or before, since Hinduism and Islam exist jointly in so many people? How is communalism constructed?
e. Territorial divisions-Since the British assembled the Indian nation, Indians needed to figure out how to break the large entity into manageable parts. What possibilities does this offer in making local actions more pronounced, but also creating statuses, like minority and majority?
II. How do tradition and modernity dialogue in the locations of India?
a. Village-the Green revolution, government programs and education have entered (at least theoretically) the village to address poverty
b. City-caste hierarchies have transformed into class hierarchies, so that now Dalits can command respect as politicians, but the lower class remains unheard. How has city life affected social networks, as sons move to the city to work and send money home to the village? How do caste and linguistic differences affect social groups in the city?
c. Urban/Rural together-the urban center of power displays remnants of the British outsider in charge, since city life differs so drastically and is so removed from village life.
III. Who controls India?
a. Village-jajman hierarchy remains from pre-Colonial era, but with the British imprint of politicization, developed in independence in the panchayati raj. This system has opened up the possibility of village involvement in politics, but has nevertheless maintained the patron-client relationship.
b. Nation-political leadership favors the middle class, thus a ‘bourgeois revolution’ has taken hold and grows in size. This means that the middle class is not willing to question authoritative corruption since it works for their benefit.
1. Economic interests-the educated middle displays the remnants of colonial knowledge and Hindu caste divisions by assigning roles to the different components of the industrialization process, leaving the reigns in their own hands since others can’t be trusted.
2. Politics-Religious contentions remain present since the INC can be seen as a tool of the Hindu middle class. What did Partition do if not alleviate this problem? Corruption reigns, prodding the question of how India can develop entirely if only a few are benefiting.
IV. How has change shown itself?
a. Slow, long-term changes in lifestyle and values (women’s rights seen as more of an issue, but disempowerment in the family structure remains)
b. Abrupt, revolutionary and decisive actions-like Ghandi’s striking actions which were both cheered for by the masses, and jointly condemned by business interests fearing an economic slow-down