We are proposing a panel on “Understanding Authoritarianism/Fascism in South Asia” at the 52nd Annual Conference on South Asia, organized by the South Asia Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
While South Asia, a diverse and dynamic region, has witnessed various forms of governance throughout its history, in recent times, concerns have been raised about the rise of populism and/or authoritarianism. This panel seeks to explore the nature of fascism/authoritarianism in this region. Is the nature of fascism/authoritarianism the same in this region compared to Western/European counterparts? In response to Ramin Jahanbegloo's question "Is there an Indian fascism?" Ashis Nandy argues, “Indian civilization, which has no direct experience of that particular version [European] of authoritarianism and has always worked with ill-defined, open ended concept of evil, finds it more difficult to deal with various modern versions of authoritarianism” (Nandy 2006).
- Authoritarianism/Fascism in South Asia (Any historical moment to now)
- Biopolitics
- Manufacturing the consent
- Nation-building and Authoritarianism
- Extra-judicial killings
- Resisting Authoritarianism (past or present)
- Silencing the narratives
- Radical Alternatives
- Democracy and Populism
- Anti-Authoritarian Political Thoughts in South Asia
- Secular/religious authoritarianism
- Vote Rigging to "Dummy" election (in the context of Bangladesh)
- Politics of Propaganda
Zunayed Ehsan, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
