Sneha Roy | Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva (original) (raw)
Papers by Sneha Roy
The Daak, 2024
Rai and Spary provide invaluable insight while adorning the gendered lens looking beyond the inst... more Rai and Spary provide invaluable insight while adorning the gendered lens looking beyond the institutional approach in examining the workings of the Indian parliament in their book, Performing Representation: Women Members in the Indian Parliament. The methodology they adopt instead tries to fill the gap in examining representative politics through institutional norms by performing a study that is both “historical and socially embedded” (p. 334). This book is theoretically nuanced and is a must-read for anyone trying to understand the everyday workings of the Indian parliament as it provides a cultural (Taylor, 1995) analysis of the everyday workings of the Indian parliament that goes beyond the analysis of constitutional debates (Austin, 1999). To break free from the “universalism that undermines the performance of ‘other’ representative modes” (p. 18), Rai and Spary adopt the performative approach in bringing about a gendered revolution by reflecting on vignettes provided by elected representatives who identify as women in the Indian parliament, the corporeality of speeches and debates as well as visuals in terms of their clothing.
Asian Journal of Social Science, 2019
Informality, associated with street vendors, is now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan ur... more Informality, associated with street vendors, is now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan urbanisation. Street vendors form an important part of several economies around the world and are seen as a vital source of livelihood and employment opportunity for the low-skilled, lower-income class of the population. A closer understanding of profiles of street vendors and the nature of complexities present in the business of street vending—studied through the supply chain processes of product procurement and distribution—helps one in observing an entwined relationship between what are perceived as “informal” or “formal” in the urban ecosystem. This study on street vendors working across Kolkata emphasises the need to adopt an inclusive view to urban “informal” arrangements, providing a comprehensive picture in identified local market spaces. Our research focuses on two critical aspects: (a) capturing samples of oral account(s) from merchants/vendors operating in local markets across K...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018
The governing dynamics of Urban Informality across cities in India remain closely associated with... more The governing dynamics of Urban Informality across cities in India remain closely associated with street vending business activities that are now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan urbanisation. Street vendors form an important part of local economies in a rapidly urbanizing global South and have gradually emerged as a vital source of livelihood and employment opportunity for the semiskilled and lower-income urban class. Our study provides a closer examination of the nature of business of street vendors working in markets across Kolkata (India). The study reflects a complicated supply chain structure of business, presenting an intertwined existential relationship between the urban 'informal' with the urban 'formal', further, arguing for a need to develop an inclusive view of the urban ecosystem in India. For this, the paper focuses on two critical aspects: a) Capturing samples of oral account(s) from merchants/vendors operating in targeted informal markets and b) Gauging the supply chain dynamics of the consumer's baskets available in these markets. From the research undertaken, the paper argues for a need to construct an inclusive view to urban informality, providing a comprehensive understanding of the lives of street vendors and the functioning of their businesses across Kolkata.
Drafts by Sneha Roy
In this paper, I examine the culture of social media through the language used and the pictures c... more In this paper, I examine the culture of social media through the language used and the pictures circulated on Facebook and Instagram. I examine the effect social media has on gender performativity that is slowly being normativised in today's day and age through repetition. I explore two positions on this matter, one, social media as a source of liberation and two, social media as a tool that dictates one's behavioural traits. While grappling with these two positions, I explore the possibilities of an individual reclaiming one's gender performativity and agency through disengagement from these platforms be it temporarily or permanently.
The Me too movement uses a framework that has proved to be acultural1 in the Indian Context as it... more The Me too movement uses a framework that has proved to be acultural1 in the Indian Context as it fails to take into consideration the embedded intersectionality in the Indian Society. It has largely been 'savarnised' failing to accommodate the experiences of Dalit Bahujan Adivasi Women facing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). It fails to treat the category of 'woman' as a heterogenous one which leads to the confinement of the members of the LGBTQIA community as well as men as second-class citizens. The unorthodox methodology and tools adopted by the 'new' feminists have created an ideological rift between the 'old' and the 'new' generation of feminists and this has led to a further dilution of the movement. In conclusion, I argue that the Me Too movement is 'radical' in disrupting the dominance of the savarna narrative in Indian feminism but it is also inadequate because there is an absence of a 'singular voice' or solidarity among the Indian feminists in this regard.
in her book, 'Invisible Women-Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men' explores the impact... more in her book, 'Invisible Women-Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men' explores the impact of the gender data gap on urban planning, access to health care and education, reaching power positions, asymmetrical impact on women during natural disasters, wars, political turmoil among other areas. 'Data is the new oil' and when this data is not sex-disaggregated with an inherent male bias, amenities are provided in accordance with it. This renders certain sections of society disadvantaged. As an activist who has led campaigns like, 'women on banknotes', Perez sees people's mundane lives through a certain vantage point, which helps in birthing this extremely gripping book that humorously states facts with a certain sense of irony. As the title suggests, this book reflects on the invisibility of women in particular but it would have been even more inclusive if one could see how this gendered data impacts the LGBTQIA community. Perez uses the 'single axis framework'1 which homogenizes the category of 'women' hence posing a problem for the readers. It would be rather enriching if she would have looked at issues through an intersectional framework. Despite these shortcomings which I intend on discussing later in the course of the review, this book is data intensive, and a need of the hour and I shall explore some of the areas perused by Perez. Perez begins with the 'history of the evolution of homo sapiens' problematique that
Book Review: Purple Hibiscus 'Purple Hibiscus' is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel which de... more Book Review: Purple Hibiscus 'Purple Hibiscus' is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel which deals with various themes such as religion, gender, the private-public dichotomy, freedom, tradition versus modernity, coloniality of the mind in a postcolonial country and domestic violence which is the most prominent and recurring theme. Adichie describes herself as a 'happy African feminist who does not hate men and who likes to wear lip gloss and high heels for herself and not for men' in her book, 'We Should All Be Feminists' in which she talks about
Social media in the 21 st century has an undeniable presence in every individual's life of all ag... more Social media in the 21 st century has an undeniable presence in every individual's life of all age groups. To borrow from Althusser, social media sites function as an 'ideological state apparatus' wherein there is a constant production of 'subjects' who seem to be trapped in their false emancipatory potential. It produces the subject through 'capturing interpellation'1 wherein individuals on social media are compelled to capture every moment in life as a documentation of their 'performativity'2 taking individuals as 'always already subjects'3 on a whole new level. Social media platforms have become a norm to determine one's moral worth and self-identity. The paper aims to study the materiality of social media sites and how such sites determine the moral worth and self-identity of individuals in today's day and age. The aim of the paper is not to vilify social media or its culture but to expose the
Bug's Life: An Account of Estranged Labour of "oppressed ants everywhere" "You let one ant stand ... more Bug's Life: An Account of Estranged Labour of "oppressed ants everywhere" "You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up", the biggest fear of the 'man of means' or the bourgeois is explored in Pixar's second feature film, A Bug's Life (1998). The movie was also converted into a game called a bug's life1 (1998) which is an account of class struggle and a very successfully carried out revolution to restore the 'order
in his book, "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" grapples with the question of what is justi... more in his book, "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" grapples with the question of what is justice and how can a state achieve the 'right' way of distributing the things we value or what Rawls would call the "primary goods" which include "income and wealth, duties and rights, powers and opportunities, offices and honours" 1. Sandel like Plato, Aristotle, Locke, and Rousseau tries to produce a framework that could be best adopted by states and societies to make 'just' allocations. To do this he identifies three ways of approaching the distribution of goods: welfare, freedom, and virtue. Sandel's arguments are presented in a way so that a pluralistic democratic society can decide which ideal it values the most because each of these ideals presents a different way of thinking about justice. Sandel addresses that political philosophy is limited to just bringing 'moral clarity' which may be deliberated upon to reach the best possible measure but it cannot explicitly resolve the disagreements between these approaches. In this essay, I shall explore Sandel's conception of justice which is deeply influenced by the Aristotelian notions of justice and good life, and the potential link between honorific and teleological dimensions of justice. Sandel does not claim to settle the debate of 'what is justice?' but as the title of the book suggests, he presents his arguments by using examples elucidating what is the right thing to do. 1.1-The battle of schools of thought: which virtue to value? Sandel presents before us three forms of justice brought about by different schools of thought namely, the utilitarian, the libertarian, and the liberal egalitarian according to the virtue valued by each of these schools. The idea of maximizing 'welfare' is often seen in utilitarian arguments which are summed up in Bentham's words, "greatest happiness for the greatest number". In a market society, maximising welfare, and improving the standards of living makes one value 'prosperity', and scholars like Bentham presents a 'felicific calculus' to measure happiness which does not account for quality. Liberalism proposes that the just society in its constitution and its laws "seeks to provide a framework within which its citizens can pursue their values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others." 2 This defies the utilitarian conception because it places 'right' above 'good' in two senses, first, "the priority
In the article, Problems for a Contemporary Theory of Gender (1994) Tharu and Niranjana question ... more In the article, Problems for a Contemporary Theory of Gender (1994) Tharu and Niranjana question the visibility of women in the Indian Political arena. They begin the article stating, 'suddenly 'women' are everywhere' which is satirical in relation to Cynthia Enloe's popular phrase, 'where are the women?' They question how this 'new' visibility must be read but more importantly one is compelled to think about which women, in which context? If 'women' is the subject of feminist enquiry, does 'women' as a category become homogeneous? The 'colonial public sphere' as Anupama Rao talks about in the book Gender and Caste (2003) has been a difficult terrain for women to navigate. A unified women's movement has never been witnessed in India because the experience of upper-caste
The Daak, 2024
Rai and Spary provide invaluable insight while adorning the gendered lens looking beyond the inst... more Rai and Spary provide invaluable insight while adorning the gendered lens looking beyond the institutional approach in examining the workings of the Indian parliament in their book, Performing Representation: Women Members in the Indian Parliament. The methodology they adopt instead tries to fill the gap in examining representative politics through institutional norms by performing a study that is both “historical and socially embedded” (p. 334). This book is theoretically nuanced and is a must-read for anyone trying to understand the everyday workings of the Indian parliament as it provides a cultural (Taylor, 1995) analysis of the everyday workings of the Indian parliament that goes beyond the analysis of constitutional debates (Austin, 1999). To break free from the “universalism that undermines the performance of ‘other’ representative modes” (p. 18), Rai and Spary adopt the performative approach in bringing about a gendered revolution by reflecting on vignettes provided by elected representatives who identify as women in the Indian parliament, the corporeality of speeches and debates as well as visuals in terms of their clothing.
Asian Journal of Social Science, 2019
Informality, associated with street vendors, is now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan ur... more Informality, associated with street vendors, is now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan urbanisation. Street vendors form an important part of several economies around the world and are seen as a vital source of livelihood and employment opportunity for the low-skilled, lower-income class of the population. A closer understanding of profiles of street vendors and the nature of complexities present in the business of street vending—studied through the supply chain processes of product procurement and distribution—helps one in observing an entwined relationship between what are perceived as “informal” or “formal” in the urban ecosystem. This study on street vendors working across Kolkata emphasises the need to adopt an inclusive view to urban “informal” arrangements, providing a comprehensive picture in identified local market spaces. Our research focuses on two critical aspects: (a) capturing samples of oral account(s) from merchants/vendors operating in local markets across K...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018
The governing dynamics of Urban Informality across cities in India remain closely associated with... more The governing dynamics of Urban Informality across cities in India remain closely associated with street vending business activities that are now seen as a generalised mode of metropolitan urbanisation. Street vendors form an important part of local economies in a rapidly urbanizing global South and have gradually emerged as a vital source of livelihood and employment opportunity for the semiskilled and lower-income urban class. Our study provides a closer examination of the nature of business of street vendors working in markets across Kolkata (India). The study reflects a complicated supply chain structure of business, presenting an intertwined existential relationship between the urban 'informal' with the urban 'formal', further, arguing for a need to develop an inclusive view of the urban ecosystem in India. For this, the paper focuses on two critical aspects: a) Capturing samples of oral account(s) from merchants/vendors operating in targeted informal markets and b) Gauging the supply chain dynamics of the consumer's baskets available in these markets. From the research undertaken, the paper argues for a need to construct an inclusive view to urban informality, providing a comprehensive understanding of the lives of street vendors and the functioning of their businesses across Kolkata.
In this paper, I examine the culture of social media through the language used and the pictures c... more In this paper, I examine the culture of social media through the language used and the pictures circulated on Facebook and Instagram. I examine the effect social media has on gender performativity that is slowly being normativised in today's day and age through repetition. I explore two positions on this matter, one, social media as a source of liberation and two, social media as a tool that dictates one's behavioural traits. While grappling with these two positions, I explore the possibilities of an individual reclaiming one's gender performativity and agency through disengagement from these platforms be it temporarily or permanently.
The Me too movement uses a framework that has proved to be acultural1 in the Indian Context as it... more The Me too movement uses a framework that has proved to be acultural1 in the Indian Context as it fails to take into consideration the embedded intersectionality in the Indian Society. It has largely been 'savarnised' failing to accommodate the experiences of Dalit Bahujan Adivasi Women facing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). It fails to treat the category of 'woman' as a heterogenous one which leads to the confinement of the members of the LGBTQIA community as well as men as second-class citizens. The unorthodox methodology and tools adopted by the 'new' feminists have created an ideological rift between the 'old' and the 'new' generation of feminists and this has led to a further dilution of the movement. In conclusion, I argue that the Me Too movement is 'radical' in disrupting the dominance of the savarna narrative in Indian feminism but it is also inadequate because there is an absence of a 'singular voice' or solidarity among the Indian feminists in this regard.
in her book, 'Invisible Women-Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men' explores the impact... more in her book, 'Invisible Women-Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men' explores the impact of the gender data gap on urban planning, access to health care and education, reaching power positions, asymmetrical impact on women during natural disasters, wars, political turmoil among other areas. 'Data is the new oil' and when this data is not sex-disaggregated with an inherent male bias, amenities are provided in accordance with it. This renders certain sections of society disadvantaged. As an activist who has led campaigns like, 'women on banknotes', Perez sees people's mundane lives through a certain vantage point, which helps in birthing this extremely gripping book that humorously states facts with a certain sense of irony. As the title suggests, this book reflects on the invisibility of women in particular but it would have been even more inclusive if one could see how this gendered data impacts the LGBTQIA community. Perez uses the 'single axis framework'1 which homogenizes the category of 'women' hence posing a problem for the readers. It would be rather enriching if she would have looked at issues through an intersectional framework. Despite these shortcomings which I intend on discussing later in the course of the review, this book is data intensive, and a need of the hour and I shall explore some of the areas perused by Perez. Perez begins with the 'history of the evolution of homo sapiens' problematique that
Book Review: Purple Hibiscus 'Purple Hibiscus' is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel which de... more Book Review: Purple Hibiscus 'Purple Hibiscus' is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel which deals with various themes such as religion, gender, the private-public dichotomy, freedom, tradition versus modernity, coloniality of the mind in a postcolonial country and domestic violence which is the most prominent and recurring theme. Adichie describes herself as a 'happy African feminist who does not hate men and who likes to wear lip gloss and high heels for herself and not for men' in her book, 'We Should All Be Feminists' in which she talks about
Social media in the 21 st century has an undeniable presence in every individual's life of all ag... more Social media in the 21 st century has an undeniable presence in every individual's life of all age groups. To borrow from Althusser, social media sites function as an 'ideological state apparatus' wherein there is a constant production of 'subjects' who seem to be trapped in their false emancipatory potential. It produces the subject through 'capturing interpellation'1 wherein individuals on social media are compelled to capture every moment in life as a documentation of their 'performativity'2 taking individuals as 'always already subjects'3 on a whole new level. Social media platforms have become a norm to determine one's moral worth and self-identity. The paper aims to study the materiality of social media sites and how such sites determine the moral worth and self-identity of individuals in today's day and age. The aim of the paper is not to vilify social media or its culture but to expose the
Bug's Life: An Account of Estranged Labour of "oppressed ants everywhere" "You let one ant stand ... more Bug's Life: An Account of Estranged Labour of "oppressed ants everywhere" "You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up", the biggest fear of the 'man of means' or the bourgeois is explored in Pixar's second feature film, A Bug's Life (1998). The movie was also converted into a game called a bug's life1 (1998) which is an account of class struggle and a very successfully carried out revolution to restore the 'order
in his book, "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" grapples with the question of what is justi... more in his book, "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" grapples with the question of what is justice and how can a state achieve the 'right' way of distributing the things we value or what Rawls would call the "primary goods" which include "income and wealth, duties and rights, powers and opportunities, offices and honours" 1. Sandel like Plato, Aristotle, Locke, and Rousseau tries to produce a framework that could be best adopted by states and societies to make 'just' allocations. To do this he identifies three ways of approaching the distribution of goods: welfare, freedom, and virtue. Sandel's arguments are presented in a way so that a pluralistic democratic society can decide which ideal it values the most because each of these ideals presents a different way of thinking about justice. Sandel addresses that political philosophy is limited to just bringing 'moral clarity' which may be deliberated upon to reach the best possible measure but it cannot explicitly resolve the disagreements between these approaches. In this essay, I shall explore Sandel's conception of justice which is deeply influenced by the Aristotelian notions of justice and good life, and the potential link between honorific and teleological dimensions of justice. Sandel does not claim to settle the debate of 'what is justice?' but as the title of the book suggests, he presents his arguments by using examples elucidating what is the right thing to do. 1.1-The battle of schools of thought: which virtue to value? Sandel presents before us three forms of justice brought about by different schools of thought namely, the utilitarian, the libertarian, and the liberal egalitarian according to the virtue valued by each of these schools. The idea of maximizing 'welfare' is often seen in utilitarian arguments which are summed up in Bentham's words, "greatest happiness for the greatest number". In a market society, maximising welfare, and improving the standards of living makes one value 'prosperity', and scholars like Bentham presents a 'felicific calculus' to measure happiness which does not account for quality. Liberalism proposes that the just society in its constitution and its laws "seeks to provide a framework within which its citizens can pursue their values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others." 2 This defies the utilitarian conception because it places 'right' above 'good' in two senses, first, "the priority
In the article, Problems for a Contemporary Theory of Gender (1994) Tharu and Niranjana question ... more In the article, Problems for a Contemporary Theory of Gender (1994) Tharu and Niranjana question the visibility of women in the Indian Political arena. They begin the article stating, 'suddenly 'women' are everywhere' which is satirical in relation to Cynthia Enloe's popular phrase, 'where are the women?' They question how this 'new' visibility must be read but more importantly one is compelled to think about which women, in which context? If 'women' is the subject of feminist enquiry, does 'women' as a category become homogeneous? The 'colonial public sphere' as Anupama Rao talks about in the book Gender and Caste (2003) has been a difficult terrain for women to navigate. A unified women's movement has never been witnessed in India because the experience of upper-caste