Why Democracy Needs Cultivation: Lessons from an Indian village
Professor Mukulika Banerjee, London School of Economics and Political Science
Drawing on more than twenty years of ethnographic research in a single rural location in India, this talk offers an anthropological theorisation of democracy. It explores how the practices of farming and village life provide insights into why democracy requires ongoing cultivation, as well as the risks of overlooking this knowledge in contemporary politics.
About the speaker
Professor Mukulika Banerjee is a Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research explores democracy, elections, citizenship and political life in South Asia. She is the author of Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India and Why India Votes?, among other publications.