Quest for Participatory Democracy: Towards Understanding the Approach of Gandhi and Jayaprakash Narayan - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 813160330X ISBN 13: 9788131603307

Publisher: Rawat Publications, 2010

Synopsis

Democracy is presented as an ideal form of government where freedom and justice are institutionalized through constructive interdependence. But, there is also increasing disenchantment with systems of representation and forms of government, in the context of the democratizing societies, due to a number of systemic flaws in them. Around the world, numerous aspects of representative democracy have received criticism, such as: the high cost of elections, opportunism of the power elite, corruption in high office, factionalism and hierarchy in the political parties, benign neglect of collective actions and social movements, the alienation of women and minorities, the declining significance of citizens in the affairs of the state, etc. In India, the idea of participatory democracy was central to Gandhi's political thinking and practice. Leaders - such as M.N. Roy, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Rammanohar Lohia - also advocated it at different forums. This collection of papers - written by academics and scholars in India - promotes dialogue about the dynamics of democratization. It looks at the growing concern about the limits of representative democracy as manifested at several sites of democracy building around the world. It explores major challenges in the quest of participatory democracy.

About this title

About the Author

Anand Kumar is Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has been educated at Banaras Hindu University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Chicago. He has been blessed with the opportunity of working under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan from 1974 to 1979. For the three decades of his academic career since 1979, he has been engaged in several academic projects including Building Global Democracy Convening Group and the Global Studies Programme. He continues to contribute towards various socio-political causes through J.P. Foundation, Lokshakti Abhiyan, Centre for Social Research and Centre for Applied Sociology. He has also been a visiting scholar at Albert Ludwig Universitat (Freiburg), Johannes Keppler University (Linz), M.S.H (Paris) and Kashmir University (Srinagar). Manish Tiwari is a PhD in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research focuses on water and society, poverty, political and environment sociology and media s role and effect in democratic societies. He has taught sociology and journalism at the Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University and at a government college in Rajasthan. He is associated with the Jayaprakash Foundation.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 813160330X
• ISBN 13: 9788131603307
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 436
• Editor: Kumar Anand, Tiwari Manish