Citizenship, community and the state in western India : the moulding of a Marathi-speaking province, 1930s-1950s
This thesis examines how ideas about citizenship emerged out of the mutually constitutive relationship between the âeverydayâ state and society in the specific region of Maharashtra, western India. By concentrating upon Maharashtra between the 1930s and 1950s, it looks to provide new perspectives upon the construction of citizenship in India during this formative period, thereby complementing, building upon and re-contextualising recent scholarship that has been principally interested in deciphering the repercussions of independence and partition in the north of the subcontinent. This thesis suggests that the reasons why Maharashtrians supported the reorganisation of provincial administrative boundaries on linguistic lines were intrinsically linked to ideas and performances of citizenship that had emerged in the past few decades at the local level. Despite the stateâs interactions with its citizens being theoretically based upon accountability, objectivity and egalitarianism, they often diverged from these hyperbolical principles in practice. Because local state actors, who were drawn from amongst regional societies themselves, came to be subjected to pressures from particular sub-sets, groups, factions
Godsmark, Oliver James
Citizenship, community and the state in western India : the moulding of a Marathi-speaking province, 1930s-1950s. This thesis examines how ideas about citizenship emerged out of the mutually constitutive relationship between the âeverydayâ state and society in the specific region of Maharashtra, western India. By concentrating upon Maharashtra between the 1930s and 1950s, it looks to provide new perspectives upon the construction of citizenship in India during this formative period, thereby complementing, building upon and re-contextualising recent scholarship that has been principally interested in deciphering the repercussions of independence and partition in the north of the subcontinent. This thesis suggests that the reasons why Maharashtrians supported the reorganisation of provincial administrative boundaries on linguistic lines were intrinsically linked to ideas and performances of citizenship that had emerged in the past few decades at the local level. Despite the stateâs interactions with its citizens being theoretically based upon accountability, objectivity and egalitarianism, they often diverged from these hyperbolical principles in practice. Because local state actors, who were drawn from amongst regional societies themselves, came to be subjected to pressures from particular sub-sets, groups, factions
citizenship community state western india mould speaking province examines idea_citizenship emerge mutually constitutive relationship everyday state_society specific_region western india concentrate_upon look provide_new perspective upon construction citizenship india formative_period thereby complement build_upon contextualising recent_scholarship principally interested decipher repercussion independence partition north subcontinent suggests reason support reorganisation provincial administrative boundary linguistic line intrinsically link_idea performance citizenship emerged local_level despite state interaction citizen theoretically base_upon accountability objectivity egalitarianism often diverge principle_practice local state actor drawn amongst regional society come subject pressure particular sub sets group faction