Is the multitude valorized by Antonio Negri dying into solitude of Byung Chul Han. Negri like Karl Marx saw an emancipative future where the multitude will bring down the Empire. What makes the multitude of course is different for both Marx and Negri. Why is the resistance not coming in an economically uneven world of today. The condition is...
Power at Play in India
What is the kind of power apparatus do we see in India today ? India under Modi seems to be under sovereign power. It appears that Modi is ruling with a strong hand. Maybe some of us may say that we are become a disciplinary society. We as citizens are told with the force of power what we have...
The Losers of History and History of the Losers
Power makes us provincial. We become insensitive to the pain of the suffering other. Power, thus, not just provincializes the powerful, it also provincializes those on whom power is exercised. But those who are on the underside of boot of power refuse to remain on the underside of history. People who are losers of history are willing to wait...
Excess/Surplus: A Critical Exploration in Modi’s India
Introduction Modi’s India has witnessed significant economic, social and political shifts. We have entered surplus. India has become intensely excessive place. We see this surplus through the work of Jacques Lacan, Karl Marx and Michele Foucault interplay of surplus enjoyment, surplus value and surplus power reveals complexities in power dynamics, economic structures and social hierarchies. Surplus Enjoyment (Jouissance) 1....
Biopolitics Arising out of Science and Religion
The lens of biopolitics of Michel Foucault can assist us to understand Hindutva. It is called Bionationalism by Banu Subramaniam in his book, Holy Science , the Biopolitics of Hindu Nationalism. Recent venomous rant of ex-RSS chief of Goa , Mr. Subash Velinkar on St. Francis Xavier seems to turn colonial legacies into postcolonial biologies. Bionationalism as a term...
The Portuguese in the Arabian Sea and the Formation of Hindu India?
The arrival of the Portuguese in the Arabian Sea in 1498, under the command of Vasco da Gama, marked a turning point in the history of the Indian Ocean. Here I am proposing a hypothesis that presence of Portuguese in the Arabian sea might paved the way for Hindu India othereise India might be a Muslim country had history...
The Courage of Hopelessness
Hope is a silver lining on the horizon. It promises something new. It opens a future. In an atmosphere of uncertainty and darkness , we humans long for light, self-belief, and energy of hope. In these conditions of unfreedom, underserved and unmerited suffering, hope becomes therapy. Hope is political. All politics is a politics of hope. Hence, hope is...
The Herding Effect
We know about herding or flocking among animals. Do humans exhibit herding behavior? Herding is more animal like. But decision research has opened us to what is called herding effect. Maybe an illustration might assist us to make our point. I had gone to present an academic paper at a national seminar in a Kolkata at the morning star...
Decision Research Leading to Neuromarketing and NeuroPolitics
Decision research has taken the world by storm. Books like, Thinking Fast and Slow have become best sellers. Dan Ariely speaks of the predictable irrational side of humanity. There is no doubt that we humans have the dark side. It does make us vulnerable and therefore, our behavior may be predictable. Today big data analytics and decision research seem...
The Breakdown of Modi Myth
What is the message in the results of this election to the Lok Sabha? One concerns role and future of PM Modi. Certainly he has failed to deliver . Brand Modi took great beating. The Myth and halo around Modi came down crumbling. Whichever way may the final result may rest, it is now clear that people of India...
