POLITICS OF MODERN SOUTH ASIA

Transcription

1 POLITICS OF MODERN SOUTH ASIA GO-348 SKIDMORE COLLEGE Spring 2016 Yelena Biberman-Ocakli Class Meeting: T/Th 12:40-2:00PM Class Location: Ladd 207 Office Hours: T/Th 2:00-3:00pm & by appointment at Ladd 314 COURSE DESCRIPTION An examination of the politics and society of South Asian states, with a special focus on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Students will develop substantial regional knowledge and learn to apply social scientific reasoning to tackle the major puzzles and policy issues facing South Asia. Students will gain knowledge of the region and investigate the big and enduring questions of political inquiry: What is the relationship between development and democracy? What is the role of history in shaping political outcomes? Is nonviolent resistance more effective than violence? In addressing these questions, students will engage closely with classic and contemporary social scientific texts on South Asia. READINGS All readings (except the book below) will be accessible through Blackboard. As important current events unfold throughout the term, I will short newspaper articles. Reading these articles is also a requirement of this course. The following book is available for purchase: Menon, Nivedita. Seeing Like a Feminist. New Delhi: Zubaan, 2012.

2 REQUIREMENTS The following are the main requirements for this course*: Assignment Participation & attendance Discussion Leader Synthesis Paper (1) Group Presentation Synthesis Paper (2) Synthesis Paper Description Attendance is mandatory; see note (below) on class participation. % of final grade Due date Lead class discussion based on the assigned readings. 10 TBD 5-6 pages, double-spaced.** Covers material from January 28 through, and including, February 25. Students have the option of revising one of the first two synthesis papers. The revision is due May 10, no later than 5:00pm. Students also have the option of writing an pages (double-spaced) research paper in lieu of the three synthesis papers. Those selecting this option must inform the instructor by February 18, 3:00pm, and will subsequently receive detailed instructions. Class presentation (group of 2-3). 20-minute presentation + 10-minute Q&A. Select a topic related to the material covered during the week of your presentation. Topic selected by group in consultation with instructor. See instructor during office hours to discuss presentation topic and plan at least 2 weeks in advance of the presentation. 6-7 pages, double-spaced. Covers material from March 1 through, and including, April pages, double-spaced. Covers material from April 12 through, and including, 15 March 1 (Hard copy due in class) 15 TBD April 12 (Hard copy due in class) May 10 No later than 5:00pm (3) May 3. * This syllabus provides an approximate schedule for our course. The instructor reserves the right to change assignments and due dates. Any such changes will be announced in class. ** Use Times New Roman font and Chicago citation style for all writing assignments. CLASS PARTICIPATION Part of your course grade will be based on your participation in class. Participation is not only talking. It is being prepared for class, doing all the assigned readings before the class meets, arriving on time, careful listening and note-taking, and engaging meaningfully in class discussions and activities. In order to participate, you must be present, so attendance is required. An attendance sheet will be circulated at the beginning of every class meeting. Unexcused absences will impact Politics of Modern South Asia 2

3 your overall letter grade. Medical and athletic excuses must be accompanied by a written note from your doctor, nurse, or coach. MISSED ASSIGNMENTS Late assignments will be penalized, with the exception of bona fide medical or other emergency as validated by appropriate documentation (e.g., a doctor or nurse s note). For each day an assignment is late, 10% of its total worth will be deducted. ACADEMIC HONESTY Students are expected to comply with the honor code. 1 Because this class involves writing, it is essential that students develop good habits of citation and scholarship. Plagiarism appropriating another person s ideas or words (spoken or written) without attributing those words or ideas to their true source and cheating will not be tolerated. If you have any questions about how or when to cite another s work, please consult the instructor. Academic Integrity Handbook 2 is also a good resource. Remember: it is better to err on the side of overly generous citation. WRITING SKILLS In line with the requirements of a liberal education, the Government Department emphasizes the importance of good writing skills. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with The Writing Requirement in the Department of Government and the Checklist for Grading Writing Assignments in Government. All papers will be graded according to the grammatical and composition standards outlined in these documents. Guidelines are available at: Students are encouraged to take advantage of the resources available at the Skidmore Writing Center. In addition to the individualized assistance the Center provides to students throughout the school year, it also runs regular workshops aimed at improving writing skills. ACCOMMODATION If you are a student with a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.), please contact the instructor so that your learning needs may be appropriately met (all discussions will remain confidential). You must formally request accommodation from Meg Hegener, Coordinator for Student Access Services (SAS). You will also need to provide documentation which verifies the existence of a disability and supports your request. For further information, please call (518) or stop by the office of Student Academic Services in Starbuck Center. USE OF LAPTOPS AND TABLETS IN CLASS Laptop, tablet, and phone use in class is not allowed. Students with a disability are permitted to use a laptop if SAS approved Politics of Modern South Asia 3

4 BLACKBOARD AND Students should check Blackboard regularly for announcements, links to assigned texts, and links to websites and articles related to the course. Students should also check their Skidmore accounts regularly for s from the instructor regarding the course. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING Assessment and grading in this course follows the general guidelines identified in the Skidmore College Catalogue. Grades are assigned on the following basis: A A-, B+, B B-, C+, C C-, D+, D F Distinguished work Superior work Satisfactory work Passing, poor-quality work Failure, no credit earned Note: S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) is not Pass/Fail, and an S is a grade of C or higher. A WORD OF ADVICE Succeeding in this course is a function of your own effort. Here are some tips: Do the reading. The lectures are not a substitute for the readings. The assignments will demand familiarity with material not covered in lecture but found in the readings. Come to class. Likewise, lectures may include material not in the readings and will help you to build critical thinking skills. Read critically. Focus on the big picture to glean the main arguments in the texts. Think about the logic of the arguments and draw linkages and contrasts among the texts. Ask questions. Do not hesitate to ask questions or raise issues in class. Your comments will enrich the course. Come to office hours. I am here to help and also invite you to share your responses and reactions to the material. Follow relevant issues outside of class. Reading about current (or not so current) events in important journals and newspapers will help you to assess and apply the concepts you encounter in the course. Among the useful sources are: o Indian Express (India) o Dawn (Pakistan) o The Daily Star (Bangladesh) o The Express Tribune (Pakistan) o Himal Southasian (Nepal) o The Friday Times (Pakistan) o The Independent (Bangladesh) o The Caravan (India) o The Hindu (India) Politics of Modern South Asia 4

5 o Kuensel (Bhutan) o Herald (Pakistan) o Foreign Policy South Asia (US) COURSE SCHEDULE Tuesday, February 26 Welcome Review syllabus Week 1: Why South Asia Thursday, February 28 US Interests and Beyond *** Discussion Leader date selected in class Dan Twining, How the Next Administration Should Handle South Asia, Foreign Policy (September 4, 2012), pp Yelena Biberman, Reimagining Pakistan s Militia Policy, Atlantic Council Issue Brief (April 27, 2015), p Jason Lyall, Here are the Five Things You Need to Know about the 2015 Fighting Season in Afghanistan, Washington Post, January 12, Siddharth Kara, Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia (New York: Columbia University Press, 2012), pp (skim 37-48). HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Week 2: British Colonial Legacy Why were the British in India? How were they able to achieve and maintain control over India and its people? How has colonial legacy shaped South Asia? Tuesday, February 2 Institutions of British Rule Philip J. Stern, The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), Introduction: A State in the Disguise of a Merchant and Planting & Peopling Your Colony, pp and Syed Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi, Punjabisation in the British Indian Army and the Advent of Military Rule in Pakistan, Edinburgh Papers In South Asian Studies, No. 24 (2010), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 5

6 Thursday, February 4 Colonizing the Mind Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity (New York: Picador, 2005), Indian Traditions and the Western Imagination, pp Week 3: Resistance to Colonialism How did the freedom movement emerge? What was Gandhi s approach, and why was it successful? Was the outcome of nonviolent resistance unique to the India case, or could it work in other contexts? Tuesday, February 9 Gandhi s Challenge Dennis Dalton, Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993), pp Lloyd I. Rudolph and Suzanne Hoeber Rudolph, Postmodern Gandhi and Other Essays: Gandhi in the World and at Home (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), pp , Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography, or, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1996), pp [begin with the fourth paragraph: My uniform experience ]. Thursday, February 11 Nonviolent Resistance Dennis Dalton, Civil Disobedience: The Salt Satyagraha, in Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action (New York: Columbia UP, 1993), pp Erica Chenoweth, Think Again: Nonviolent Resistance, Foreign Policy (August 24, 2011), pp POLITICS OF IDENTITY Week 4: Midnight s Child: Pakistan Why were two nations born instead of one when the British departed in 1947? What were the major points of contestation between Muslim nationalists and those who sought a united India? Were Muslims united in their quest for Pakistan? What have been the long-term implications of Pakistan s national origins for the future of the country? Tuesday, February 16 Nationalism and Partition Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal, The Partition of India and the Creation of Pakistan, in Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy, eds. Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal (New York: Routledge, 2004), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 6

7 Stephen Philip Cohen, The State of Pakistan, in The Idea of Pakistan (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2004), pp Thursday, February 18 Competing Views and Jinnah s Legacy Stephen Hay, ed, Sources of Indian Tradition: Modern India and Pakistan (New York: Columbia University Press, 1988), pp , , , , , and [These are relevant speeches and letters of the leading South Asian Muslim figures, : Sir Syed, Iqbal, Jinnah, and Azad.] Akbar Ahmed, Why Jinnah Matters, in Maleeha Lodhi, ed., Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State (London: Hurst & Company, 2011), pp Week 5: Midnight s Grandchild: Bangladesh Why was Bangladesh born? What are the major debates surrounding the birth of the country? What are the points of contention? How do the different interpretations of Bangladesh s history influence politics today? Tuesday, February 23 Nationalism and Partition Sarmila Bose, Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971, Economic and Political Weekly 40, no. 41 (Oct, 8-14, 2005), pp Akhtaruzzaman Mandal and Nayanika Mookherjee. Research on Bangladesh War, Economic & Political Weekly 42, no. 50 (Dec , 2007), pp Rafiqul Islam, A Tale of Millions: Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 (Dhaka, Bangladesh: Ananya, 2011), pp Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Directorate of Intelligence, East Pakistan: An Independent Nation? Intelligence Memorandum (Secret), March 1, 1971; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Thursday, February 25 Politics of Memory Yelena Biberman and Rachel Castellano, Wartime Nation-Building and Genocidal Violence in Civil War: Lessons from Bangladesh, Working Paper, December The Trial of the Birth of a Nation, The Economist (December 15, 2012), pp Gardiner Harris, Opposition Leader s Execution Spurs Protests in Bangladesh, New York Times, December 12, Bina D Costa, War Crimes, Justice and the Politics of Memory, Economic & Political Weekly XLVII, no. 12 (March 23, 2013), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 7

8 Week 6: Inter-Ethnic Relations What are the underlying and proximate causes of the Hindu-Muslim conflict? What are the drivers of inter-ethnic peace? Tuesday, March 1 Hindu-Muslim Divide ***Synthesis Paper 1 Due Parents in Western UP Turn to Monk to Free Daughters from Muslim Lovers Spell, Times of India, August 2, Steven I. Wilkinson, Votes and Violence: Electoral Competition and Ethnic Riots in India (Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 1-9; 12-16; 19-26; ; Ashutosh Varshney, Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society: India and Beyond, World Politics 53, No. 3 (April 2001), pp Thursday, March 3 Bridging Divides Documentary: Meet the Patels (2014) Drew DeSilver, 5 Facts about Indian Americans, Pew Research Center, September 30, Week 7: Religion and Caste What are the foundations of social order in South Asia? What are the sources of continuity and change within the existing social hierarchies? Tuesday, March 8 Construction and Contestation M.N. Srinivas, The Social System of a Mysore Village, in McKim Marriot, ed, Village India (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1955), pp (A classic ethnographic account of the caste system.) Ramchandra Guha, Minding the Minorities, in India After Gandhi: The History of the World s Largest Democracy (NY: Harper Perennial, 2008), pp Christophe Jaffrelot, The Impact of Affirmative Action in India: More Political than Socioeconomic, India Review 5, no. 2 (2006), pp Thursday, March 10 Rise of Hindu Nationalism Ashutosh Varshney, Contested Meanings: India s National Identity, Hindu Nationalism, and the Politics of Anxiety in the 1980s and 1990s, in Battles Half Won: India s Improbable Democracy (New Delhi: Penguin, 2014), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 8

9 Annie Gowen and Rama Lakshmi, Modi Promises a Shining India in Victory Speech, Washington Post, May 16, Week 8: Spring Break (no classes) Week 9: Gender What is gender, why does it exist, and when does it matter? What role does gender play in the politics and the everyday lives of people in South Asia? Tuesday, March 22 Feminist Perspective Nivedita Menon, Seeing Like a Feminist (New Delhi: Zubaan, 2012), Introduction and Family, pp. vii-xii and Humira Nooristani, The Bollywood Effect: Women and Film in South Asia, Foreign Policy (April 11, 2013), p Despite Being a Woman, The Economist, June 13, Thursday, March 24 Gender and Policy Anna Badkhen, A Shameful Neglect, Foreign Policy (May 31, 2013), pp Lila Abu-Lughod, Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others, American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (September 2002), pp Nick Paton Walsh, Pakistan's Transgender Tribe of Tax Collectors, CNN (April 14, 2011), p. 1. DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT Week 10: Democracy and Authoritarianism How has India been able to maintain its status as the world s largest democracy? What explains the recurrence of authoritarianism across South Asia? Tuesday, March 29 India s Democratic Miracle Ashutosh Varshney, India Defies the Odds: Why Democracy Survives, Journal of Democracy 9, No. 3 (July 1998), pp Atul Kohli, Introduction, in Atul Kohli, ed, The Success of India s Democracy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp Thursday, March 31 Authoritarianism Maya Tudor, Explaining Democracy s Origins: Lessons from South Asia, Comparative Politics, Volume 45, Number 3 (April 2013), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 9

10 Steven I. Wilkinson, Democratic Consolidation and Failure: Lessons from Bangladesh and Pakistan, Democratization 7, No. 3 (2000), pp Week 11: Economic Development What accounts for the cross- and sub-national differences in development outcomes? What successes have been achieved, and what challenges remain? Tuesday, April 5 Explaining Developmental Trajectories Atul Kohli, State-Directed Development (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, After the Permit Raj: India s Awakening, in The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy (New York: Touchstone, 2002), pp Thursday, April 7 Looking Ahead: Prospects and Challenges Sumit Ganguly, Subcontinental Drift, Foreign Policy (August 22, 2013), pp Sadiq Ahmed, Saman Kelegama, and Ejaz Ghani (World Bank), Promoting Economic Cooperation in South Asia (New Delhi: Sage, 2010), pp REGIONAL AND GLOBAL SECURITY Why has South Asia been called the most dangerous place in the world? What are the underlying causes of the major security challenges facing, and emanating from, South Asia? Tuesday, April 12 Violent Resistance ***Synthesis Paper 2 Due Week 12: Insurgency and Terrorism Seth G. Jones, In the Graveyard of Empires: America s War in Afghanistan (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010), pp. xix-xxxiv; (focus on the definition of insurgency); and C. Christine Fair, Neil Malhotra, and Jacob N. Shapiro, Democratic Values and Support for Militant Politics: Evidence from a National Survey of Pakistan, Journal of Conflict Resolution (March 21, 2013), pp Zubair Ahmed, Hindu terrorism debate grips India, BBC (Nov. 21, 2008), pp Thursday, April 14 The Drone Debate Daniel Byman, Why Drones Work, Foreign Affairs 92, Issue 4 (July/August 2013), pp Politics of Modern South Asia 10

11 Audrey Kurth Cronin, Why Drones Fail, Foreign Affairs 92, Issue 4 (July/August 2013), pp Week 13: Kashmir How did Kashmir become the most militarized zone in the world? What have been the local, regional, and international consequences of the Kashmir conflict? Tuesday, April 19 Origins of Intractability Ashutosh Varshney, Three Compromised Nationalisms: Why Kashmir Has Been a Problem, in Raju Thomas, ed, Perspectives on Kashmir (Boulder: Westview Press, 1992), pp Thursday, April 21 Consequences of Conflict Guest Speaker (Live from Kashmir via Skype): Dr. Samir Ahmad Basharat Peer, What Lies Beneath, Foreign Policy (September 29, 2011), pp Samir Ahmad, Impact of Militarization on Education in Kashmir, Working Group on Peace, Conflict and Education, November 12, 2013, pp Kaz de Jong, et al, Conflict in the Indian Kashmir Valley I: Exposure to Violence, Conflict and Health 2, no. 10 (2008), pp Week 14: Conventional and Unconventional Warfare Tuesday, April 26 Armies, Self-Defense Militias, and Death Squads Yelena Biberman, State Outsourcing of Violence in Pakistan and India s Wars, Working Paper. Thursday, April 28 The Nuclear Stability Debate Sumit Ganguly, Nuclear Stability in South Asia, International Security 33, No. 2 (Fall 2008), pp S. Paul Kapur, Ten Years of Instability in a Nuclear South Asia, International Security 33, No. 2 (Fall 2008), pp Tuesday, May 3 Wrap Up Week 15: Conclusions Politics of Modern South Asia 11

12 Government Department Policy on Civility and Comportment in the Classroom The classroom experience is the heart of liberal education, and as such is the most important aspect of your Skidmore College education. Presumably, if you did not agree you would not be attending Skidmore. The faculty of the Government Department takes this understanding as the basis of our educational efforts. It is in an attempt to honor the centrality of the classroom experience that we offer this department policy on civility and comportment. As is stated in the Student Handbook, your presence at Skidmore College is contingent upon your acceptance of, and full adherence to, the Skidmore College Honor Code. This honor code is distinct from the oath you take when writing a paper or taking an exam it is in fact much more all-encompassing, and much more demanding. The Code includes the following statement: I hereby accept membership in the Skidmore College community and, with full realization of the responsibilities inherent in membership, do agree to adhere to honesty and integrity in all relationships, to be considerate of the rights of others, and to abide by the College regulations. Elsewhere, the Code also calls all Skidmore students to conform to high standards of fair play, integrity, and honor. What does it mean to do act honestly, with integrity, and according to high standards of fair play, particularly in the classroom? In our view, it includes, minimally, the following. 1. No student shall lessen the learning experience of others in the classroom by arriving late to class. 2. No student shall lessen the learning experience of others in the classroom by leaving the classroom while class is in session, except for true medical emergencies. 3. Cell phones must be turned off during class. 4. No student shall disrupt the learning experience of others in the classroom by talking to a neighbor, writing notes to other students, reviewing one s mail, reading the newspaper, completing homework for other classes, or playing with the laptop computer, while class is in session. 5. No student shall disrespect other Skidmore students, professors or the housekeeping staff by putting feet on the desks or other furniture in the classroom, or by leaving trash, food, or recyclables in the room at the end of the class session. While we will hold all students to these minimal expectations, we also have some suggestions for those who seek to go beyond the bare minimum of civil classroom comportment to become the type of mature, responsible, active learners who are an asset to any classroom and society at large. These include the following. 6. Every student should take copious and meaningful notes both on assigned readings and during classroom sessions. Note taking is an important skill if you do not already possess it, you should acquire it. Politics of Modern South Asia 12

13 7. Every student should take some time to review the notes that he or she has taken on the day s assigned reading before each class meeting. You will be amazed how much more invested and engaged in the class you will feel if you go into the classroom well-prepared. 8. Disruptions in class can be a significant impediment to learning, and no member of the Skidmore community including faculty and students should tolerate them. Thus every student should take responsibility for holding his or her peers and classmates to both high academic standards and high standards of civility. If people around you are chatting, passing notes or otherwise detracting from the overall quality of YOUR classroom experience, don t let them get away with it. 9. Individual faculty members in the Government Department will determine the level of sanctions for disruptive behavior. Politics of Modern South Asia 13