Waiting for the People: The Idea of Democracy in Indian Anticolonial Thought

The book "Waiting for the People" offers an original reconstruction of Indian anticolonial thought and provides a bold new framework for theorizing the global career of democracy. It challenges the foundational claim about the absence of peoplehood in India, which led to the democratic legitimation of empire. Indian anticolonial thinkers explored the fraught theoretical space between sovereignty and government, scrutinizing contemporary European definitions of "the people" and the assumption that a unified peoplehood was a prerequisite for self-government. The book reveals largely unheralded Indian contributions to democratic theory and highlights the effort to reconfigure the relationship between popular sovereignty and self-government as a key event in the global history of political thought.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 09 January 2024
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Indians, their former British rulers asserted, were unfit to rule themselves. Behind this assertion lay a foundational claim about the absence of peoplehood in India. The purported “backwardness” of Indians as a people led to a democratic legitimation of empire, justifying self-government at home and imperial rule in the colonies.

In response, Indian anticolonial thinkers launched a searching critique of the modern ideal of peoplehood.

Waiting for the People is the first account of Indian answers to the question of peoplehood in political theory. From Surendranath Banerjea and Radhakamal Mukerjee to Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian political thinkers passionately explored the fraught theoretical space between sovereignty and government. In different ways, Indian anticolonial thinkers worked to address the developmental assumptions built into the modern problem of peoplehood, scrutinizing contemporary European definitions of “the people” and the assumption that a unified peoplehood was a prerequisite for self-government. Nazmul Sultan demonstrates how the anticolonial reckoning with the ideal of popular sovereignty fostered novel insights into the globalization of democracy and ultimately drove India's twentieth-century political transformation.

Waiting for the People excavates, at once, the alternative forms and trajectories proposed for India's path to popular sovereignty and the intellectual choices that laid the foundation for postcolonial democracy. In so doing, it uncovers largely unheralded Indian contributions to democratic theory at large. India's effort to reconfigure the concept of peoplehood in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had profound implications for the country's political and social development. The British colonial authorities had long maintained that Indians were not fully human and lacked the necessary qualities to govern themselves. This belief was rooted in the racist ideology of the time, which saw Indians as inferior to Europeans and incapable of developing a modern, democratic society.

In response, Indian anticolonial thinkers began to challenge this notion of Indian inferiority and argue for a new understanding of peoplehood that would recognize the diversity and complexity of Indian society. They sought to redefine peoplehood in terms of cultural and social identity rather than physical or biological characteristics. This approach was based on the idea that peoplehood was not a fixed entity but rather a dynamic and evolving concept that could be shaped by the experiences and struggles of individuals and communities.

One of the key figures in this movement was Surendranath Banerjea, a prominent Indian philosopher and political thinker who argued for a pluralistic conception of peoplehood. Banerjea believed that peoplehood was not a monolithic entity but rather a collection of diverse communities and cultures that shared a common history and language. He argued that the Indian nation was not a unified entity but rather a mosaic of different regions and communities that had to be respected and accommodated.

Another important figure was Radhakamal Mukerjee, a lawyer and political activist who also advocated for a pluralistic conception of peoplehood. Mukerjee believed that peoplehood was not a fixed concept but rather a fluid and dynamic one that could be shaped by the experiences and struggles of individuals and communities. He argued that the Indian nation was not a monolithic entity but rather a collection of diverse cultures and traditions that had to be recognized and celebrated.

These ideas were echoed by other Indian anticolonial thinkers, such as Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who also played significant roles in shaping India's political and social development. Gandhi, in particular, was known for his nonviolent resistance against British rule and his belief in the power of the people to bring about change. He argued that peoplehood was not a fixed concept but rather a dynamic and evolving one that could be shaped by the actions and choices of individuals and communities.

Nehru, on the other hand, was a leading advocate of Indian nationalism and the establishment of a democratic, secular state. He believed that peoplehood was not a fixed concept but rather a dynamic and evolving one that could be shaped by the aspirations and needs of the Indian people. He argued that the Indian nation was not a monolithic entity but rather a collection of diverse cultures and traditions that had to be unified and integrated into a single, democratic society.

These ideas and movements had a profound impact on India's political and social development. They helped to challenge the colonial authority and establish a new sense of Indian identity and pride. They also laid the foundation for India's eventual independence from British rule in 1947.

In conclusion, the debates over peoplehood in India had a significant impact on the country's political and social development. Indian anticolonial thinkers challenged the British colonial authorities' notion of Indian inferiority and argued for a new understanding of peoplehood that recognized the diversity and complexity of Indian society. They sought to redefine peoplehood in terms of cultural and social identity rather than physical or biological characteristics. These ideas and movements helped to shape India's political and social development and laid the foundation for India's eventual independence from British rule in 1947.

Weight: 612g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674290372