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Why Indians vote: reflections on rights, citizenship and democracy from a Tamil Nadu village
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 16:49 authored by Grace CarswellGrace Carswell, Geert De NeveGeert De NeveThis paper contributes to an empirical and theoretical understanding of democracy and political participation in India through an ethnographic study of the meanings attached to voting in rural Tamil Nadu. Based on a study of voting in a rural constituency during the 2009 national elections, the paper explores the variety of motivations that compel people to vote. It explores how voting is informed by popular understandings of rights and duties as citizens, programmatic policies and their local implementation, commitment to caste and party loyalties, and authority of charismatic leaders. The paper explores the roots of the political consciousness and rights awareness that underpin high levels of electoral participation. It suggests that elections form unique moments that allow ordinary people to experience an individual sense of citizenship and of democracy itself while at the same time allowing them to pursue projects of recognition, respect and assertion as members of communities. It is precisely this dual feature that makes voting so enduringly attractive to India's contemporary electorate.
Funding
DfID; RES 167 25 0296
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
AntipodeISSN
0066-4812Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Issue
4Volume
46Page range
1032-1053Department affiliated with
- Geography Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2014-03-04First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-07-13First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-07-13Usage metrics
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