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The Politics of Plague: Neoliberalism, Hindutva, and the Exploitation of an Emerging ‘Civil Society’
Language
English (en)
Date of Award
5-1-2017
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
Surat, a small port city on the western coast of India, set the world into a panic when a small outbreak of bubonic and pneumonic plague rattled the city in September of 1994. Although the outbreak lasted only a little over three weeks, an unprecedented global reaction surged throughout the international community. India, a newly neoliberal state, became vulnerable to international actors looking to exploit the health crisis and obtain a presence throughout the region. The outbreak served as a perfect storm to allow for international intervention, as it came during a period of economic liberalization and furthered sociopolitical instability. International powerhouses used NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations), or service and humanitarian non- profit groups, as mechanisms for surveillance and policing in the city of Surat. This project looks at the intersection of neoliberal economic policies and vulnerable sociopolitical conditions, and the consequent establishment of global surveillance vis-a-vis NGOs in Surat. Furthermore, the paper serves to analyze the retreat of the reach of the state due to neoliberalism and politics of Hindutva, and analyze the gap in power exploited by local and international actors. Connecting the rise of NGOs with the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a political party in favor of neoliberalism and the reduction of state intervention, I argue that these sociopolitical changes in turn led to the violent, anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat in 2002, leaving the citizens of Gujarat in disarray.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/5yg4-7z09
Mentor
Shefali Chandra
Recommended Citation
Thea, Jessica, "The Politics of Plague: Neoliberalism, Hindutva, and the Exploitation of an Emerging ‘Civil Society’" (2017). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 192.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/5yg4-7z09
Comments
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