Mohammed Imtiaz Quadri

My Ph.D. thesis titled ‘Populism and the Promise of Representation,’ attempts a new approach to theorization of representative democracy in India’s states, where ideological distinction along the Left-Right spectrum does not explain political competition. Specifically, my thesis critically studies the invocations of ‘people’ and popular politics during the separate statehood movement in Telangana, 2000-2014. The return of patronage culture in Telangana calls for a re-examination of democratic claims made on behalf of “Telangana’s cultural turn.” This turn to the centrality of sentiment, emotion in political mobilisation sought to break culture’s links with the Telugu language and its dominant caste speakers and resituate it as an expression of the region’s democratic demands. Cultural resources of marginalized groups, such as dialect, songs and performances were deemed “authentic” sites of regional identity even as these were drawn in support of the political parties between 2001 and 2014. Post-separation marginalised groups are unable to reclaim these cultural resources to further their demands of political representation, as political culture is now mediated by institutions of a postcolonial state and welfare–patronage policies. The move towards a common ethical and moral standard requires overcoming the restricted logic of politics of representation.