Rajshree Chandra

Postcolonial genealogies, together with contested histories of religion and caste, impart democratic-populism with a distinct repertoire and aesthetic in India. This project aims to explore four defining aesthetics of populism in India: The ascetic aesthetic; the civilizational aesthetic; the aesthetic of caste-inclusion; the techno-modern aesthetic. Importantly, the first three have an affiliation with religion, which is what adds to populist dynamics a distinctive and pernicious facet. However, since religio-cultural aesthetics lack the force to fully displace reason and science, techno-modernity becomes indispensable for the conduct of populist power. Together they co-produce the spaces of appearance, forge identities, fashion prejudice, create spectacles of modernity, and above all consolidate sovereign aura and power. In short, my project seeks to explore the constitutive links between populist power and the aesthetics it deploys. 

Website: https://jdm.du.ac.in/political-science-faculty.html