Ritanjan Das
Biographic Data
| ID | 672821 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ritanjan Das |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ritanjan |
| FAMILY NAME | Das |
| SIGNATURE | DAS R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Portsmouth |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7030-0565 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 30 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Fragmented marginalities: Dispossessed peasantry and migrant labour communities in urban North India
Analogous to the Euro-American context, Indian cities are usuallyconceptualised as socio-spatial forms where communities at theperipheries of ‘development’ constitute ‘urban margins’. However,such conceptualisations rarely interrogate the varied aspects ofmarginality within those spaces. Drawing from an ethnographywith dispossessed peasantry (in ‘urban villages’) and migrantlabour (in slums/jhuggis) in Noida, a north-Indian city, we unpackthree a…
Dynastic dilemma in South Asia: Influence, networks and shamefacedness
This article contributes to the growing literature on political dynasticism in contemporary South Asia and shifts the focus from the much-debated national level dynasties to the usually ignored dynasties operating at subnational and regional levels. Analytically, it investigates the ‘moment’ of succession, conceptualised as the period when new heirs are actively enrolled in a dynastic formation. Such moments of succession can be perilous moments …
Neoliberal city and exclusive communities: The politics of contemporary urbanisation in northern India
This article focuses on a relatively overlooked dimension of urban development in India: the nature of community-making in new urban spaces. Using concepts from sociological and geographical literature on community formation, it examines the relationship between specific forms of urbanisation in contemporary (neo-liberal) India and community-making processes. The study is situated in the city of Noida within the national capital region in norther…
Consolidating a political dynasty: Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress, and the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal
In this viewpoint article, we analyse the consolidation of Abhishek Banerjee as the future leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the dominant political party in West Bengal and one of the most influential opposition parties at the pan-Indian level. While the TMC has gone from strength to strength for over a decade under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee (who is also Abhishek's aunt), it has recently found itself in an unprecedented crisis, mire…
Across the stolen Ponds: The political geography of social welfare in rural eastern India
Producing multiple ‘others’: Spatial upheaval and Hindutva politics in urban India
This article examines two simultaneous dynamics in contemporary India: the development of new urban spaces, and an intensification of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Examining the case of Noida (a township adjacent to Delhi), this article suggests that the entrepreneurial mode of urban development [Harvey 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism. New York: Verso] has restructured local spaces, which in turn may give rise to rival attempts at group making,…
Producing local neoliberalism in a Leftist regime: Neoliberal governmentality and populist transition in West Bengal, India
This paper presents a theoretical reassessment of a contentious chapter in India’s economic liberalisation – the case of West Bengal, a state ruled by the pro-labour ‘Left Front’ coalition, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) from 1997 to 2011. The onset of neoliberalism in India had naturally created a serious political dilemma for the CPIM, but it eventually transitioned to a private-industrialisation agenda, thus prompting serio…
Land Dispossession and Everyday Politics in Rural Eastern India
In contemporary India, land is arguably one of the biggest sites of struggle. With the state strongly promoting capital investment, land occupies the centre-stage, as new cities, infrastructure, re
Narratives of the Dispossessed and Casteless: Politics of Land and Caste in Rajarhat, West Bengal
This article examines the political narratives around a two-decade -old process of land acquisition and development in the "global city" Rajarhat, a former rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. These narratives are built against the backdrop of a neoliberal state acting as a corporate facilitator, particularly in matters of land, and the concomitant dispossession. The multifaceted politics of Rajarhat took shape during the erstwhil…
Politics of a Transformative Rural: Development, Dispossession and Changing Caste-Relations in West Bengal, India
This paper explores the political churnings around an almost twenty-year-old process of land acquisition and development in Rajarhat, an erstwhile rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. The narrative takes shape against the backdrop of a neo-liberal state in the global South acting as a corporate facilitator, the concomitant dispossession, and particularly the transformation of the villages and rural livelihoods. The paper tries to …
The Politics of Land, Consent, and Negotiation: Revisiting the Development-Displacement Narratives from Singur in West Bengal
India’s rapid economic growth has frequently been marred by struggles over land acquisition and displacement. This paper re-examines one such case. In 2006, protests erupted in Singur (a small cluster of villages in West Bengal) against government initiatives to acquire land for a private industrial project. The protests gathered enough momentum to stall the project, and went on to have a decisive impact on the electoral fortunes of the governmen…
Contradictions, Negotiations and Reform: The Story of Left Policy Transition in West Bengal
This article provides a historical perspective on a rather unique chapter in the era of economic reforms in India—the case of the state of West Bengal. In 1991, the Government of India began to pursue a policy of economic liberalization, causing serious political challenges for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM)-led Left Front coalition in West Bengal. Historically, the CPIM had strongly opposed economic reforms, but was compelled to und…
What's left
With the victory of capitalism and the end of the Cold War, almost all countries in the global south, including those still calling themselves "communist," have become "transition" countries, competing to attract foreign direct investment and reform according to the strictures of global capitalism. Particularly interesting cases of "transition" are those states that explicitly legitimize their rule in terms of communist ideals, the general allian…
Narratives of the Dispossessed and Casteless: Politics of Land and Caste in Rajarhat, West Bengal
This article examines the political narratives around a two-decade -old process of land acquisition and development in the "global city" Rajarhat, a former rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. These narratives are built against the backdrop of a neoliberal state acting as a corporate facilitator, particularly in matters of land, and the concomitant dispossession. The multifaceted politics of Rajarhat took shape during the erstwhil…
Dynastic dilemma in South Asia: Influence, networks and shamefacedness
This article contributes to the growing literature on political dynasticism in contemporary South Asia and shifts the focus from the much-debated national level dynasties to the usually ignored dynasties operating at subnational and regional levels. Analytically, it investigates the ‘moment’ of succession, conceptualised as the period when new heirs are actively enrolled in a dynastic formation. Such moments of succession can be perilous moments …
What's left
With the victory of capitalism and the end of the Cold War, almost all countries in the global south, including those still calling themselves "communist," have become "transition" countries, competing to attract foreign direct investment and reform according to the strictures of global capitalism. Particularly interesting cases of "transition" are those states that explicitly legitimize their rule in terms of communist ideals, the general allian…
Producing multiple ‘others’: Spatial upheaval and Hindutva politics in urban India
This article examines two simultaneous dynamics in contemporary India: the development of new urban spaces, and an intensification of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Examining the case of Noida (a township adjacent to Delhi), this article suggests that the entrepreneurial mode of urban development [Harvey 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism. New York: Verso] has restructured local spaces, which in turn may give rise to rival attempts at group making,…
Producing local neoliberalism in a Leftist regime: Neoliberal governmentality and populist transition in West Bengal, India
This paper presents a theoretical reassessment of a contentious chapter in India’s economic liberalisation – the case of West Bengal, a state ruled by the pro-labour ‘Left Front’ coalition, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) from 1997 to 2011. The onset of neoliberalism in India had naturally created a serious political dilemma for the CPIM, but it eventually transitioned to a private-industrialisation agenda, thus prompting serio…
The Politics of Land, Consent, and Negotiation: Revisiting the Development-Displacement Narratives from Singur in West Bengal
India’s rapid economic growth has frequently been marred by struggles over land acquisition and displacement. This paper re-examines one such case. In 2006, protests erupted in Singur (a small cluster of villages in West Bengal) against government initiatives to acquire land for a private industrial project. The protests gathered enough momentum to stall the project, and went on to have a decisive impact on the electoral fortunes of the governmen…
Contradictions, Negotiations and Reform: The Story of Left Policy Transition in West Bengal
This article provides a historical perspective on a rather unique chapter in the era of economic reforms in India—the case of the state of West Bengal. In 1991, the Government of India began to pursue a policy of economic liberalization, causing serious political challenges for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM)-led Left Front coalition in West Bengal. Historically, the CPIM had strongly opposed economic reforms, but was compelled to und…
Consolidating a political dynasty: Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress, and the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal
In this viewpoint article, we analyse the consolidation of Abhishek Banerjee as the future leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the dominant political party in West Bengal and one of the most influential opposition parties at the pan-Indian level. While the TMC has gone from strength to strength for over a decade under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee (who is also Abhishek's aunt), it has recently found itself in an unprecedented crisis, mire…
Across the stolen Ponds: The political geography of social welfare in rural eastern India
Land Dispossession and Everyday Politics in Rural Eastern India
In contemporary India, land is arguably one of the biggest sites of struggle. With the state strongly promoting capital investment, land occupies the centre-stage, as new cities, infrastructure, re
What's left
With the victory of capitalism and the end of the Cold War, almost all countries in the global south, including those still calling themselves "communist," have become "transition" countries, competing to attract foreign direct investment and reform according to the strictures of global capitalism. Particularly interesting cases of "transition" are those states that explicitly legitimize their rule in terms of communist ideals, the general allian…
Contradictions, Negotiations and Reform: The Story of Left Policy Transition in West Bengal
This article provides a historical perspective on a rather unique chapter in the era of economic reforms in India—the case of the state of West Bengal. In 1991, the Government of India began to pursue a policy of economic liberalization, causing serious political challenges for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM)-led Left Front coalition in West Bengal. Historically, the CPIM had strongly opposed economic reforms, but was compelled to und…
The Politics of Land, Consent, and Negotiation: Revisiting the Development-Displacement Narratives from Singur in West Bengal
India’s rapid economic growth has frequently been marred by struggles over land acquisition and displacement. This paper re-examines one such case. In 2006, protests erupted in Singur (a small cluster of villages in West Bengal) against government initiatives to acquire land for a private industrial project. The protests gathered enough momentum to stall the project, and went on to have a decisive impact on the electoral fortunes of the governmen…
Producing local neoliberalism in a Leftist regime: Neoliberal governmentality and populist transition in West Bengal, India
This paper presents a theoretical reassessment of a contentious chapter in India’s economic liberalisation – the case of West Bengal, a state ruled by the pro-labour ‘Left Front’ coalition, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) from 1997 to 2011. The onset of neoliberalism in India had naturally created a serious political dilemma for the CPIM, but it eventually transitioned to a private-industrialisation agenda, thus prompting serio…
Land Dispossession and Everyday Politics in Rural Eastern India
In contemporary India, land is arguably one of the biggest sites of struggle. With the state strongly promoting capital investment, land occupies the centre-stage, as new cities, infrastructure, re
Narratives of the Dispossessed and Casteless: Politics of Land and Caste in Rajarhat, West Bengal
This article examines the political narratives around a two-decade -old process of land acquisition and development in the "global city" Rajarhat, a former rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. These narratives are built against the backdrop of a neoliberal state acting as a corporate facilitator, particularly in matters of land, and the concomitant dispossession. The multifaceted politics of Rajarhat took shape during the erstwhil…
Politics of a Transformative Rural: Development, Dispossession and Changing Caste-Relations in West Bengal, India
This paper explores the political churnings around an almost twenty-year-old process of land acquisition and development in Rajarhat, an erstwhile rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. The narrative takes shape against the backdrop of a neo-liberal state in the global South acting as a corporate facilitator, the concomitant dispossession, and particularly the transformation of the villages and rural livelihoods. The paper tries to …
Across the stolen Ponds: The political geography of social welfare in rural eastern India
Producing multiple ‘others’: Spatial upheaval and Hindutva politics in urban India
This article examines two simultaneous dynamics in contemporary India: the development of new urban spaces, and an intensification of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Examining the case of Noida (a township adjacent to Delhi), this article suggests that the entrepreneurial mode of urban development [Harvey 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism. New York: Verso] has restructured local spaces, which in turn may give rise to rival attempts at group making,…
Dynastic dilemma in South Asia: Influence, networks and shamefacedness
This article contributes to the growing literature on political dynasticism in contemporary South Asia and shifts the focus from the much-debated national level dynasties to the usually ignored dynasties operating at subnational and regional levels. Analytically, it investigates the ‘moment’ of succession, conceptualised as the period when new heirs are actively enrolled in a dynastic formation. Such moments of succession can be perilous moments …
Neoliberal city and exclusive communities: The politics of contemporary urbanisation in northern India
This article focuses on a relatively overlooked dimension of urban development in India: the nature of community-making in new urban spaces. Using concepts from sociological and geographical literature on community formation, it examines the relationship between specific forms of urbanisation in contemporary (neo-liberal) India and community-making processes. The study is situated in the city of Noida within the national capital region in norther…
Consolidating a political dynasty: Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress, and the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal
In this viewpoint article, we analyse the consolidation of Abhishek Banerjee as the future leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the dominant political party in West Bengal and one of the most influential opposition parties at the pan-Indian level. While the TMC has gone from strength to strength for over a decade under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee (who is also Abhishek's aunt), it has recently found itself in an unprecedented crisis, mire…
Fragmented marginalities: Dispossessed peasantry and migrant labour communities in urban North India
Analogous to the Euro-American context, Indian cities are usuallyconceptualised as socio-spatial forms where communities at theperipheries of ‘development’ constitute ‘urban margins’. However,such conceptualisations rarely interrogate the varied aspects ofmarginality within those spaces. Drawing from an ethnographywith dispossessed peasantry (in ‘urban villages’) and migrantlabour (in slums/jhuggis) in Noida, a north-Indian city, we unpackthree a…
Political science (13 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Politics (12 works) · Economics (10 works) · Political economy (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Communism (5 works) · Economic growth (5 works) · Geography (5 works)