Now: prefigurative politics through a north Indian lens |
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Authors: | Craig Jeffrey Jane Dyson |
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Affiliation: | 1. Craig Jeffrey, Australia India Institute, 147–149 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia;2. Jane Dyson, School of Geography, Bouverie Street, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. Email: jane.dyson@gmail.com |
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Abstract: | This paper focuses on ‘prefigurative politics’ – embodying in the present one's vision of the future – among young people in north India. In so doing it contributes to wider debates on oppositional politics, temporality, India and youth. Building on recent fieldwork in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, we highlight the ubiquity of civic-minded everyday forms of prefigurative politics among a subset of young men and young women. We examine the temporality of this politics, which, like other recent prefigurative action across the world, emphasizes acting in the present. Young people in north India tend to view the future not as a point on the horizon but as the precipitate of their daily activities. By identifying the energetic attempts of young people within and beyond India to engage in social action, we also provide a counterpoint to negative stereotypes of youth circulating in the media and some scholarly circles. |
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Keywords: | future India prefigurative politics now temporality youth |
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