On New Social Movements and ‘The Reinvention of India’

Abstract

The focal point of this article is the role of new social movements in the process which has been denoted as ‘the reinvention of India’, and in particular, the way in which the politics of these movements is analysed and represented in academic perspectives. Two areas form the focus of the discussion: firstly, the assertion that India's NSMs represent voices of ‘otherness’ emanating from beyond the postcolonial development project and articulating a rejection of this project, and secondly, the argument that NSMs in India are most likely to have a positive impact upon the situation of marginalised subaltern groups if they seek empowerment through the liberal democratic state. The discussion is carried out in the light of empirical data from the author's research on the movement against dam-building on the Narmada River.

Keywords:

• India
• social movements
• postcolonial development project
• post-development
• state power