Doctoral Dissertation Research: Civic Engagement and Differentiated Citizenship

SES-1103116帕特里克·赫勒·什鲁蒂·马朱姆达布朗大学公民与政府的日常互动，以寻求获得基本公共产品，是行使公民权的核心。 特别是对边缘化和穷人来说，这些互动不仅是享有充分公民权所必需的，而且对生存也有严重影响。在印度人口最多的城市之一加尔各答的四个贫民窟进行的初步人种学研究表明，国家与穷人之间的互动在重要方面可能有所不同。相互作用不仅在穷人如何与国家接触方面有所不同;有些人通过直接敲公共官僚机构的门提出要求，而其他人的接触是间接的或中间人。 相互作用在自组织方面也有所不同;有些人更自主地提出要求，而另一些人则更依赖国家来表达他们的要求。本研究首先研究这种差异，然后探讨这些不同的公民参与模式或穷人的公民身份程度的可能解释。该研究质疑了大多数公民理论的基本假设，即城市贫民是以一种特定方式与国家接触的无差别群体，这与精英的参与不同。该研究整合了以国家和社会为中心的公民实践解释，有助于更好地理解政治进程，社会运动和发展。这项研究有可能有助于更好地了解城市穷人的公民身份和公民参与模式。 将向社区组织提供访谈中的比较数据和经验教训。研究结果将通过在加尔各答社会科学研究中心建立的学术联系，与加尔各答的多学科听众分享。

SES- 1103116Patrick HellerShruti MajumdarBrown UniversityCitizens' daily interactions with their government to seek access to basic public goods are at the heart of the exercise of citizenship. Particularly for the marginalized and poor, these interactions are necessary not only for the enjoyment of full citizenship, but they also have serious implications for survival. Preliminary ethnographic work in four slums in Calcutta, one of India's most populous cities, suggests that these interactions between the state and the poor can vary in important ways. Interactions not only vary in terms of how the poor engage the state; some make claims by knocking directly on the doors of public bureaucracies while others' engagement is indirect or brokered. Interactions also differ in of self-organization; some make claims more autonomously, while others are more dependent on the state for articulation of their demands. This research studies this variation first, and then examines possible explanations of these varying modes of civic engagement or degrees of citizenship among the poor. The research questions the basic assumption of most theories on citizenship that the urban poor are an undifferentiated mass that engage with the state in one particular way, which is different from the engagement of elites. The study integrates state and society centered explanations for citizenship practices and contributes to a better understanding of political processes, social movements and development. Broader ImpactsThe research has the potential to contribute to a better understanding of citizenship and patterns of civil participation among the urban poor. The comparative data and lessons learnt from the interviews will be made available to community-based organizations. Research findings will be shared with a multi-disciplinary audience in Calcutta, through the academic contacts established at the institute of affiliation -- Centre for the Study of Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC).