Nikhil K Gupta | Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (original) (raw)
Papers by Nikhil K Gupta
Economic and Political Weekly, 2023
The culture of Memes is a contemporary trend which have a captivating influence over the society.... more The culture of Memes is a contemporary trend which have a captivating influence over the society. From social media to political campaigns, the presence of memes is felt in ways that transcend the mere purpose of humor. While there has been contemplation regarding the genesis and modes of memes, the discussion on how memes influence the political deliberations and affect the perception about political reality is underexplored. This paper attempts to understand the nature of memes as an instrument of political communication in the public sphere and how it is contributing towards a more deliberative public space. The paper also examines the extent to which memes are responsible for creation of the perception of ‘political reality’ which is often a contested and variable term. The paper suggests that memes may be considered as the modern avatar of socio-political literature which can be used to understand the process of political deliberation.
Madhya Pradesh Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
The idea of a public sphere was been understood in terms of separate nationalities and very less ... more The idea of a public sphere was been understood in terms of separate nationalities and very less deliberations have been done on the way we conceive the idea of a public sphere. One of the unique interpretations of the idea of a political community has been given by Benedict Anderson, through his idea of imagined communities. However, the idea seems to have outgrown it’s context, and there is a need to revisit the process that is behind the formation of contemporary political spheres. This paper discusses how the understanding of the public sphere has changed in the 21st century and how the modern technology has enhanced the capabilities of the individual to affect the public opinion of not only one’s immediate environment but of the global public culture as well. This change in the nature of public sphere could give rise to another dimension of e-activism to the process of democratization.
Frontiers in Political Science, 2022
Transgender groups in India constitute an indigenous community with a rich and vivid culture and ... more Transgender groups in India constitute an indigenous community with a rich and vivid culture and history. However, it is unfortunate that under the hegemonic influence of heteronormative traditions, the democratic inclusion and accommodation of transgender groups could never take place. This exclusion and neglect have recently been challenged through the activism of several groups, which has given rise to a new chapter in the democratic unfolding in India. This article attempts to evaluate the social activism of transgender groups on two planes. One plane attempts to evaluate it in terms of the uniqueness of an indigenous social movement and the areas that distinguish it from other social movements. It is interesting to note that what started as a purely identity-based social movement has now acquired dimensions of redistributive justice. The second plane attempts to evaluate the social activism of transgender groups in terms of the achievements and advances made by the movement on the social and political fronts. This evaluation is necessary in order to appraise the trajectory of the politics of transgender groups, which could foretell the direction of the activism and help in understanding the future scope and direction. The article takes up three arguments in the context of the legal framework put in effect by the state. The first point of discussion is the effectiveness of the transgender ID provided by the Transgender Persons Act and the possible challenges and loopholes related to it. While the state provides legal recognition through the issuance of the transgender ID card, it only remains a symbolic marker as the de facto identity remains unchanged, unless changed by the person themselves. The second point of discussion is the emerging rift amongst transgender groups with respect to the reforms introduced recently. This rift has a tendency to pull in the opposite direction, causing tensions. The final aspect of my discussion relates to the subsequent challenges that emerge from the legal recognition of transgender persons. These challenges touch upon the various aspects of legal, political, social, and economic policymaking and are inevitable for understanding the concerns of transgender persons in India.
Sexuality, Gender and Policy, 2021
The queer movement in India celebrated a landmark with the decriminalization of Section 377 of In... more The queer movement in India celebrated a landmark with the decriminalization of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code in 2018. Another milestone was reached through the legal recognition of the transgender population of the Indian state in 2019. These developments point towards a positive progression of the queer movement in India. The change in the perspective of the state towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and inter- sex (LGBTQI) shows a positive stance towards the con- cerns of the LGBTQI groups. However, the trajectory taken by the Indian state with respect to the concern of the queer community is riddled with a few challenges and roadblocks, which might create obstacles in further- ing the concerns of the LGBTQI groups. The engagement with the heteronormative framework makes the sight of the state prismatic, which leads to lopsided and ineffec- tive results. Thus, it is important to understand the spe- cific nature of the concerns of the LGBTQI groups before embarking upon the task of restitution. This paper seeks to discuss the changing perspective of the Indian state towards the concerns of the LGBTQI and find the proba- ble challenges that might be left unaddressed.
Sexuality, Gender and Policy, Dec 6, 2021
The alternate sexualities face a society and discourse which presumes a condition of ceteris pari... more The alternate sexualities face a society and discourse which presumes a condition of ceteris paribus for heteronormativity. Such framework of understanding very often denies the very existence of the queer and alternate sexualities, and thus, their concerns of justice remain out of the purview of any democratic deliberation. The idea of coerced invisibility discusses such status of the alternate sexualities, wherein they are suppressed and neglected at multifarious levels. This erosion of spatiality puts them under a situation of “out of bounds” which ensures their insulation from the issues such as justice and equality. The paper attempts to discuss how coerced invisibility is a tool through which the exclusion of the alternate sexualities is ensured. The impact of coerced invisibility extends from one's psychology to social existence. When imposed in an acute form, it often produces results like alienation and anomie, which causes serious implications for the alternate sexualities.
Economic and Political Weekly, 2023
The culture of Memes is a contemporary trend which have a captivating influence over the society.... more The culture of Memes is a contemporary trend which have a captivating influence over the society. From social media to political campaigns, the presence of memes is felt in ways that transcend the mere purpose of humor. While there has been contemplation regarding the genesis and modes of memes, the discussion on how memes influence the political deliberations and affect the perception about political reality is underexplored. This paper attempts to understand the nature of memes as an instrument of political communication in the public sphere and how it is contributing towards a more deliberative public space. The paper also examines the extent to which memes are responsible for creation of the perception of ‘political reality’ which is often a contested and variable term. The paper suggests that memes may be considered as the modern avatar of socio-political literature which can be used to understand the process of political deliberation.
Madhya Pradesh Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
The idea of a public sphere was been understood in terms of separate nationalities and very less ... more The idea of a public sphere was been understood in terms of separate nationalities and very less deliberations have been done on the way we conceive the idea of a public sphere. One of the unique interpretations of the idea of a political community has been given by Benedict Anderson, through his idea of imagined communities. However, the idea seems to have outgrown it’s context, and there is a need to revisit the process that is behind the formation of contemporary political spheres. This paper discusses how the understanding of the public sphere has changed in the 21st century and how the modern technology has enhanced the capabilities of the individual to affect the public opinion of not only one’s immediate environment but of the global public culture as well. This change in the nature of public sphere could give rise to another dimension of e-activism to the process of democratization.
Frontiers in Political Science, 2022
Transgender groups in India constitute an indigenous community with a rich and vivid culture and ... more Transgender groups in India constitute an indigenous community with a rich and vivid culture and history. However, it is unfortunate that under the hegemonic influence of heteronormative traditions, the democratic inclusion and accommodation of transgender groups could never take place. This exclusion and neglect have recently been challenged through the activism of several groups, which has given rise to a new chapter in the democratic unfolding in India. This article attempts to evaluate the social activism of transgender groups on two planes. One plane attempts to evaluate it in terms of the uniqueness of an indigenous social movement and the areas that distinguish it from other social movements. It is interesting to note that what started as a purely identity-based social movement has now acquired dimensions of redistributive justice. The second plane attempts to evaluate the social activism of transgender groups in terms of the achievements and advances made by the movement on the social and political fronts. This evaluation is necessary in order to appraise the trajectory of the politics of transgender groups, which could foretell the direction of the activism and help in understanding the future scope and direction. The article takes up three arguments in the context of the legal framework put in effect by the state. The first point of discussion is the effectiveness of the transgender ID provided by the Transgender Persons Act and the possible challenges and loopholes related to it. While the state provides legal recognition through the issuance of the transgender ID card, it only remains a symbolic marker as the de facto identity remains unchanged, unless changed by the person themselves. The second point of discussion is the emerging rift amongst transgender groups with respect to the reforms introduced recently. This rift has a tendency to pull in the opposite direction, causing tensions. The final aspect of my discussion relates to the subsequent challenges that emerge from the legal recognition of transgender persons. These challenges touch upon the various aspects of legal, political, social, and economic policymaking and are inevitable for understanding the concerns of transgender persons in India.
Sexuality, Gender and Policy, 2021
The queer movement in India celebrated a landmark with the decriminalization of Section 377 of In... more The queer movement in India celebrated a landmark with the decriminalization of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code in 2018. Another milestone was reached through the legal recognition of the transgender population of the Indian state in 2019. These developments point towards a positive progression of the queer movement in India. The change in the perspective of the state towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and inter- sex (LGBTQI) shows a positive stance towards the con- cerns of the LGBTQI groups. However, the trajectory taken by the Indian state with respect to the concern of the queer community is riddled with a few challenges and roadblocks, which might create obstacles in further- ing the concerns of the LGBTQI groups. The engagement with the heteronormative framework makes the sight of the state prismatic, which leads to lopsided and ineffec- tive results. Thus, it is important to understand the spe- cific nature of the concerns of the LGBTQI groups before embarking upon the task of restitution. This paper seeks to discuss the changing perspective of the Indian state towards the concerns of the LGBTQI and find the proba- ble challenges that might be left unaddressed.
Sexuality, Gender and Policy, Dec 6, 2021
The alternate sexualities face a society and discourse which presumes a condition of ceteris pari... more The alternate sexualities face a society and discourse which presumes a condition of ceteris paribus for heteronormativity. Such framework of understanding very often denies the very existence of the queer and alternate sexualities, and thus, their concerns of justice remain out of the purview of any democratic deliberation. The idea of coerced invisibility discusses such status of the alternate sexualities, wherein they are suppressed and neglected at multifarious levels. This erosion of spatiality puts them under a situation of “out of bounds” which ensures their insulation from the issues such as justice and equality. The paper attempts to discuss how coerced invisibility is a tool through which the exclusion of the alternate sexualities is ensured. The impact of coerced invisibility extends from one's psychology to social existence. When imposed in an acute form, it often produces results like alienation and anomie, which causes serious implications for the alternate sexualities.