1301305710719Social Conflict and Unrest by P K Gera

7/31/2019 1301305710719Social Conflict and Unrest by P K Gera

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P.K.Gera,Jt.Director

LBSNAA

25 March 2011 1Prem K Gera


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1. SocialConflict

and

movements

2. PoliticalAuthorityandMovementsforChange

3. Relationshipbetweenthestateandsocialmovements

4. SocialMovements

and

State

Response

5. SomeCasestudiestoillustratewithafilmRamkeNaam

onAyodhyaMovement



3/35

SocialChan e:Aubi uitous henomenonasStaticSociet

conceptualnullity

BesidesEconomy,politicalrevolutionisa basicsourceof

ange

AsagainstSpreadeffectof economicdevelopment,political

revolutionisoneofdis lacements ndrome.

Transferofpowercomesnaturallywithit.Thosewhowield

powerlookatProtestswithsuspicion,asitisamechanismof

c ange. CollectiveActions:amechanismtobringchangefrom

eri her to Centre.



4/35

Structuralcom onentsofmovements

ideology,

organization,

leadershipandparticipants

Processualdimensions

strategy,

tactics,

,

eventstructure



5/35

The environmental milieu for the Movements:

Anexaminationofstateres onsetosocialmovementis

crucialto

an

understanding

of

the

environmental

milieu

in

whichtheyemergeandfunction.

a ureo es a emou s eposs yoro erw seo e

emergenceofsocialmovements,andthisinturninfluences

itsnature.

Twocomponentsoftheenvironmentalmilieuinwhich

movementsoriginateandoperate

tate

eo ogyan

t e

means

e ne

y

tas

eg t mate,

Valuesofthesociety



6/35

Four

Phases

of

Political

authority

Changingfeaturesoftheauthoritystructuresalter

Fourvariations

in

the

nature

of

social

movements

based

on

Majorphasesinthetransformationofpoliticalauthority

structures:

1. The

First

is

the

pre

political

or

stateless

phase

.

a. Mostmovements wereakintoelementarycollective

behavioror,spontaneousmobilizations,primitive

rebellions,tribal

outbreaks,

slave

riots,

etc. by

clans

andtribes,oftenledbytheirhereditarychieftains

o eratin inlimited eo ra hicallocales



7/35

SecondPhase:Withdevelopmentofcentralauthorityand

wereantiimperialistandanticolonialmobilizations.

Thirdphase Withthespreadofscienceandtechnology

moderncapitalism.

a. Movementsofparticularclassoroccupationalcategor escame ntovoguet ewor ngc assmovementsandpeasantrevolutions.

b. AStructural

change

Changeddrasticallytheclasscharacter(notclasscomposition)ofthosewhowielded

au or y,or



8/35

t ey

ac tate

t eemergence

o

new

w e ers

o

aut or ty

who identifiedthemselveswiththepoor,the

disadvantagedandtheoppressed,exemplifiedbythe

political

power

holders

of

the

socialist

and

the

welfare

states,respectively

TheFourthandfinalphase:

,

globaldivisionofnationstatesbasedonthetypeof

economy

Aproliferation

of

international

movements

for

human

rights,dignityofwomen,disarmament,environmental

, , .



9/35

Threepossibilitiesofrelationshipbetweenthe

First,theauthoritarianstatesinvariablyoppress,allsocial

Secondone

party

systems

oppress

effective

challengers

of

stateauthoritybutsponsormovementstotheiradvantage to

sustain statepower.

Third, themultipartystems:Repressionisresortedto

veryexistenceofthestate.

Nostatebyitsverynaturepermitstheoperationof

movementswhich

undermine

its

authority,

Theelasticityofpermissivenessandthelimitoftolerance

.



10/35

Typesofsocialmovementsinmultiparty

emocracy

a Governments onsoredorsu ortedSM:ifasectionofthe

national

population

is

perceived

as

a

stumbling

block

in

institutionalizingchangeintermsofstateideology;

aga ns egovernmen an ssuppor ers

byanoverwhelmingmajorityofthepopulationeither

becauseit

deviates

from

the

rofessed

state

ideolo

or

becausethegovernmentperpetuatesitselfinpower

throughstateviolence;

tostem

t e

a errant

ten enc es

w c

crept

nto

t e

modeoffunctioningofthestate.

State res onse to social movements : No unilinear attern

dictatedbythenatureofmobilizationattemptedbya

movement25 March 2011 10Prem K Gera


11/35

Theideolo andthemeansofamovementcorres ondto

those

of

the

state.

Response

facilitation. Theideologyofamovementdiffers fromthatofthestate

ut tsmeans perce ve as eg t mate,response to erat on.

Theideologyofamovementcorrespondstothatofthestate

throughdifferentroutes.Responsediscreditation

Boththeideologyandthemeansofamovementdifferfrom

thoseof

the

state.

Response

repression



12/35

PlausiblepatternsofStateResponseto

Socia

Movements

Typeof Dimensions Movements State PossibleOutcome

mp r ca

Situation

o eo ogy eans esponse

I Sameas

thatofthe

Definedas

legitimateby

Facilitation State/movementdistinction

irrelevant;movementoperatesasan

State thestate extensionofState,reinforcingsystem

stability.

II Different

Sameas

Toleration Movement

functions

as

an

instrument

theState

ideology;eventual

reconciliation/partingofways.

III Sameas Definedas Discreditation Cooptionofleadership,

thatof

the

Statenon

legitimateby

thestate

neutralizationof

movement

through

statewelfaremeasures,eventual

fadingawayofthemovement.

IV Different Same as Re ression Li uidation of the movement and its

above

leadership;eventualterminationof

themovement.Alternatively,anew

systemmayemerge:Revolution25 March 2011 12Prem K Gera


13/35

a. Socialmovementssponsoredorsupportedbythe

perceivedas

astumbling

block

in

institutionalizing

change

in

termsofstateideology;

b. Socialmovementsagainstthegovernmentbyan

overwhelming

majority

of

the

population

either

because

it

governmentperpetuatesitselfinpowerthroughstate

violence;

c. Socialmovements

against

the

government

as

well

as

against

asectionofthecollectivitywhichsupportsit,tostemthe

functioningofthestate.25 March 2011 13Prem K Gera


14/35

Twocomponentsoftheenvironmentalmilieuinwhich

socialmovements

ori inate

and

function:

1. Traditionalvaluesand

.

Hierarchy:

tothewhole

institutionalizedinequality

in

every

conceivable

aspect

asecureanddefiniteplacetoeachindividualandcaste

Statusbasedvaluationoftheindividualandgroupsand

thedistribution

of

social

resources



15/35

ThecardinalvaluesoftraditionalIndiansociety:

Pluralism

Toleranceofotherstylesoflifereligionwhilepreservingones

Castereinforced

the

pluralistic

tradition

Withlinguisticdiversitiesandculturaldifferences,caste

operate nreg onst at ac tate t ecoex stenceo soc a y

diversegroups

Holism

Arelationshipbetweenindividualandgroup

Latterhavingprimacyovertheformer.

individual

toperform

his

duties

and

claim

his

rights,

alwayskeepinginmindthewiderinterestsofthe

.

amultiplicityofcontexts,Beitfamilialcommunism, or

castecouncil



16/35

Practicalaberrationsintraditionalvalues

werecommon:

Hierarchy:

1. Inrigidcastesystemhierarchy sharpandclearatthe

polarpoints,

2. Disputes

over

caste

rank

being

almost

endemic

in

the

3. oftenfacilitatingmobilityinspiteoftherigid

institutionalframework.



17/35

creatinghostility

between

groups.

, .

Individualsoftenfelttheweightoftheheavyyoke:leadingto

considerabletension

in

inter ersonal

and

individual

rou

relations.

performanceintraditionalIndia.



18/35

TheideologicaltenetsofIndianstate:

1. Socialism,

2. Secularismand

3. Democracy.Thisideologicalpackage notsharedfully byall

1. Socialismthemostimportantgoaltobepursued.

a. Differin

theory

and

practice

i. t eowners ipan contro o t emateria resourceso t e

communityaresodistributedasbesttosubservethecommon

good

ii. Economicsystem

does

not

result

in

the

concentration

of

wealthandmeansofproductiontothecommondetriment

iii. Noattemptoncollectivizationofprivateproperty

2. Othersbestowprimacyondemocracy



19/35

Disagreementsexistovertheirrelativeimportanceoroverthe

mo ean

sequence

o

e r

rea za on

Secularism:

. ,

2. noninterference

in

the

affairs

of

other

communities

. .

4. TimidityinevolvingaUniformCivilCodeforthedifferent

religiouscommunities

points

to

this

feature

of

secularism.

5. Culturalautonomyintheregionallinguisticrecognised

whentheIndianstateswerereorganizedonthebasisof

6. SecularismisfundamentaltoindependentIndia,its

institutionalizationisforfrombeingachieved;communal,

linguisticandcastemobilizationsarenotinfrequent.



20/35

MeaningofIndiandemocracyoftendiffersfromother

emocra csoc e es:

i. thefunctioning

of

Indian

democracy

is

substantially

influencedbyprimordialcollectivitiessuchasreligion,

caste,an ngu st cgroups,an requent yme ate y

traditionalvaluesandrigidinstitutionalstructures

individualscapableofparticipatinginthedecisionmaking

processasrequired

Weexamine

only

two

aspects

of

the

problem

presently;

first,

thepossibilityofreconcilingthesevaluepairsand,second,

unfoldin theirinternalconsistenc orcontradiction.



21/35

SocietalValuesandStateIdeology:

Congruencean

Con ict

Tra t ona Va ue tate eo ogy Prerequ s te or

realization

I(a)Pluralism I(b)Secularism Toleranceandrespect

forothersstyleoflife

II(a)Heirarchy II(b)Socialism Statusbasedallocation

ofroles

and

resources

forII(a)andneedbased

allocationforII(b)

III(a)Holism III(b)Individualism Renunciationofself

Interestfor

III(a)

and

assertionofselfInterest

forIII(b)



22/35

ForCPI: a entsofmobilizationsofworkersand easantsin

Kerala,

the

state

response

to

their

movement

undergone

a

substantialchange:

rec ac on roug grassroo organ za onss ou e

accelerated.

Policeshould

be

neutralized.

Judicialorgansshouldbedirectlyusedfortransition.

Thepartydirectivesshouldbeimplementedthroughlocal

administration. Thereshouldbelaxityincrimeadministration

25 March 2011 Prem K Gera 22


23/35

Ideolo icaldifferences

Individual

Vs

Collective

rights

over

the

property instrumentalityofvoluntarygiftslikebhoodan,gramdan,sampatidan,

, ,

norviolentrevolution,

rejectsthepowerofthestateandadvocatesvicharshasan

gradualpersuasion,andkartrittvavibhajan(divisionoflabour)or

distributionofworkamongindividualswithoutcreatingan

StateToleratedasmeanswerepeaceful,nonviolent,ideologicalfit



24/35

ThirdCase: theSharedideologybutthemovementrestoredto

non

eg ma emeans

oac eve

sgoa s.

movementmaystartwithlegitimateandconstitutionally

,

attention Statemayattempt tolabelthemeansemployedas

illegitimateanddiscreditthemovement

Differinginterpretationsofanddeviationsfromthepractice

Movementsforreligiousconversionasamovementas

convertsdrawnfrombackwardcommunities

Onthe

ideological

plane,

no

reason

to

intervene

in

matters

regardingtheconversion,interventionswerejustifiedonthe

attemptedproselytization25 March 2011 Prem K Gera 24


25/35

Acce tanceofcultural luralismreflectedthrureor anization

ofIndianstatesbasedonlanguage

GoverningPrinciples(a)preservationofandstrengthening

eun yan secur yo n a; ngu s can cu ura

homogeneity;and(c)financial,economicandadministrative

considerations SubstantialnumberofIndianslosetheirlinguisticcultural

identity

v s on

o

un a

nto

un a

su a

an

aryana

amounte

toacceptingreligionasthebasisofstatereorganization



26/35

Incongruityexistswithregardtoideologyandmeansof

o

es a e

an

emovemen s

Twotypesofmovementsfitintothiscategory:leftistand

.

Discreditand

repress

Statesresponsetomovementsmaynotbelogicalor

rationalmanner. Butpragmatic,atbest,informedof

expedientrationally

demonstrateditspoliticalclout

indirectlyperpetuatesconflictingsituationsandcontributes

tothe

proliferation

whatmouldsstateresponseisnotsomuchtheideologyofa

movemen u emeans a op s



27/35

Thank

you



28/35

CommunicationpatternintheSocial

Movements

1. Radicallydifferfromcommunicationstylesacrossthe

movements.

2. Withmovementallies,thecommunicationiscooperative

.

Participantsaresacralizedandopponentsstigmatizedeven

demonized

3. Stylesofcommunication: Rootoferuptingviolence

4. AgenciesofCommunication press,radio,TVetccrucialrole

5. Attitudetoviolencedependson

whoisinvolved

whatpurpose

whetheravoidable

or

not25 March 2011 28Prem K Gera25 March 2011 28Prem K Gera


29/35

CommunicationpatternintheSocial

Movements

6. Lifec cleandcareerofthemovement

Charismatic

movements

by

gurus Ideologicalmovements

7. MovementsbeginasAssociationororganizationnucleus

whichspreadbothverticallyandhorizontally

Communicationis

bound

b

Ins

and

Outs

8. StyleandContentofCommunicationtosuitpeopledrawn

fromdifferenthistoricalandsocioculturalbackgrounds

25 March 2011 29Prem K Gera25 March 2011 29Prem K Gera


30/35

ThreemainCollectiveactorsofAgrarian

Movements

Dalit AdivasiandBackwardClasses

Demanding

better

wages

and

working

conditions

organisaed

by

Left

parties

Demandingsubsidiesandremunerativeprices

Ca italistFarmers

from

middle

and

u er

classes

Demandingagrariancapitalism

Atrue

all

India

mobilization

of

any

particular

category

Limited

ascastecategories,ecoconditionsandstrengthofpolitical



31/35

SomePatternsnoticedinDalit

Movements

Didnotor anizetoim rovetheirecoconditionsbutfollowed

hierarchyofdeprivations:

tostarttheyprotestedagainstslaveryanduntouchability gearedto

Struggleforpoliticalenfranchisementandmobilizationagainst

economicexploitation

Creatingnewidentitiesforfollowers:

Wearinginsignia,takingapledge

Sacralization and demonisation



32/35

FactorsinfluencingtheInternalMilieuof

amovement

U sanddownsofCareerinfluencedb s ecific

manifestationslikeSuddendemiseofallpowerfulleader

Fatalerrorscommittedbyleader

Developmentoffactionleadingtosplit

Twoormorecollectiveactorssharingsamegoalsmay

Fissionandfusionarestrategiesforstrengthening



33/35

thestateandsocialmovements

. ,

movementsto

their

advantage

and

nourish

state

ower.

2. Onepartysystemoppresseseffectivechallenges,

sponsormovements

to

their

advantages

to

sustain &nourishpower

3. Inthemultiparty,repressionisresortedto

againstthose

movements

which

are

explicit

threatstotheveryexistenceofthestateor

w c un erm ne sau or y.25 March 2011 33Prem K Gera25 March 2011 33Prem K Gera


34/35

Howdoesstaterespondtothemovements?

,

projectingrepression

as

in

the

interest

in

common

welfare,

theresponseofthepopulacewouldbefavorable.

Thelegitimacyofastaterepressionorsurvivalofmovement,

dependsuponthemannerinwhichitprojectsitselftothe

.

criticalimportance.

Socialmovementsarespecificinmobilizingspecificsocial

categoriesinto

collective

actions.



35/35

MostcriticalvariablethatmouldsStateresponsetosocial

movementsinademocraticpolityisthenatureofresponseto

Thepattern

of

mobilization

in

turn

vary

depending

upon

the

contextandcategoriesinvolved.

Antistateagrarianmobilizationofpriorandpost

independence

differed:

Preindependence Politicalandmulticlass

Postindependence: EconomicandClassbased

movementswhich

undermine

its

authority,

notwithstanding

thefactthattheelasticityofpermissivenessandthelimitof

o erancea m e yvaryaccor ng o esourceo s

authority.25 March 2011 35Prem K Gera25 March 2011 35Prem K Gera

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