In this episode of Research Radio, we have with us Dr. Radhika Kumar, who will be discussing the changing political landscape in the ‘Jatland’ of Haryana. This discussion is based on her papers titled ‘Saffronising 'Jatland': Mapping Shifts in the Electoral Landscape in Haryana’, ‘Stooping to Conquer: Jats and Reservations in Haryana’, ‘Why a Nationalist Rhetoric Failed the BJP in Haryana’. Dr. Radhika Kumar is with the Department of Political Science, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi.

For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Supplement head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts

Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

In this episode of Research Radio, we have Rajat Roy discussing his research on Dalit Political Subjectivity. In his papers titled "From Postcolonial Irony to Dalit Truth: A Perspective on Experience" and "Politics of Identity Contra Anti-caste Social Visions: The Matua Problem and Beyond," he highlights the uniqueness of Hindu life world and the social practices of castes. He argues that the postcolonial theory has not been sincere enough to look at caste and Brahmanical ideology critically as much as it has explored political questions like that of a Nation. Rajat Roy is an assistant professor of political science at Presidency University, Kolkata.

For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Supplement head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts

Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

This time on Research Radio we have with us Prof. Sunil Mani for a two-part episode on COVID-19 vaccine R&D and manufacturing in the US and in India based on his Special Article titled "The Role of Industrial Policy in Market-friendly Economies: Case of COVID-19 Vaccine R&D and Its Manufacturing in India and the US—I" and "The Role of Industrial Policy in Market-friendly Economies: Case of COVID-19 Vaccine R&D and Its Manufacturing in India and Its Contrast with the US—II". Prof. Mani is director and professor, RBI Chair, at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.

In Part 1 of this episode we will look at the differences in the approach adopted by the US and by India and the role of the each respective government in promoting R&D and Manufacturing.  

In Part 2 of this episode we discuss how intellectual property laws can facilitate and hinder the development and production of vaccines and the delicate balance of public private partnerships needed especially in the field of knowledge production and healthcare.

For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Research Radio head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts

Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

This time on Research Radio we have with us Prof. Sunil Mani for a two-part episode on COVID-19 vaccine R&D and manufacturing in the US and in India based on his Special Article titled "The Role of Industrial Policy in Market-friendly Economies: Case of COVID-19 Vaccine R&D and Its Manufacturing in India and the US—I" and "The Role of Industrial Policy in Market-friendly Economies: Case of COVID-19 Vaccine R&D and Its Manufacturing in India and Its Contrast with the US—II". Prof. Mani is director and professor, RBI Chair, at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. 

In Part 1 of this episode we will look at the differences in the approach adopted by the US and by India and the role of the each respective government in promoting R&D and Manufacturing.

For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Research Radio head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts 

Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

On this episode of Research Radio we have Sameer Mohite discussing his research on Caste among School Children in Maharashtra. In his  papers titled  "Critical Thinking on Caste among Schoolchildren in Maharashtra: Case Study of Two Schools in Chiplun" and "Caste amongst Schoolchildren: A Response" he discusses whether schools have been successful in encouraging children to overcome caste prejudice by bringing students from different castes together. Sameer Mohite currently teaches at Nirmala Niketan College in Mumbai. 

For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Research Radio head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts 

Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

On this World Mental Health Day we bring you a conversation with Sudarshan Kottai on Mental Health in India and it’s entanglements with socio-cultural factors both in the provision of mental healthcare as well as within the institutions of mental health themselves.

Sudarshan Kottai teaches at the Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat and has published several articles in EPW including, “How Kerala’s Poor Tribals Are Being Branded As 'Mentally Ill'”, “Migrant Workers and the Politics of Mental Health”, “A Mental Health Epidemic?: Critical Questions on the National Mental Health Survey”, and “Social Sensitivity of Mental Health Systems”.

In this episode of Research Radio we speak to Tathagatan Ravindran about the rising ‘pink tide’ in Latin America based on his papers in EPW titled “Bolivia at the Crossroads”, “Neo-liberal Restoration at the Barrel of a Gun: Dissecting the Racist Coup in Bolivia”, “Return of the Left in Bolivia: Social Movements and Popular Power”, and “The Left Victory in Colombia: From Resistance to Power” . He discusses the Left victories and struggles in Latin America and his own experiences of watching these unfold.

In her book 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents' Isabel Wilkerson looks to the Indian caste system to provide the vocabulary to expose the invisible substructure underlying race in America. Wilkerson draws comparisons between Racism in America and Caste in India in the way certain logics and practices - such as purity-pollution and endogamy - are used to establish one's status, access to resources, and humanity. In this episode we have Gopal Guru in conversation with R. Srivatsan and P. Thirumal discussing Isabel Wilkerson's book and the overlaps and exclusions between Race, Caste, and Class.

To view the Pears Soap advertisement mentioned by R. Srivatsan please refer to the show notes on the EPW website.

In this episode Atul Bhardwaj discusses his papers on Contemporary Capitalism and the 4th Industrial Revolution. The first paper titled 'Decay of Liberalism and Withering Away of the Left: Fourth Industrial Revolution' talks about how the technology-driven revolution is fundamentally affecting the relationship between capital and labour. And how this change is driving right-wing populism across the globe while the left seems to be left behind.

The second paper titled 'The Capital–Labour Rupture and the World Order' takes this further arguing that cyber-capitalism is  the driving force of the current changes in global political economy. It argues that with the help of these technologies, capitalism is breaking free from labour and is being supported by the right-wing conservatives who are undermining the educated middle class and polarising the society to help reduce the population pool that will be entitled to universal basic income in the ensuing age of mass joblessness.

The FIRs filed to regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol follow a curious template in Madhya Pradesh, our guests from today’s episode found. An FIR is likely to begin with a tip from an anonymous informant. Police officers would then reach the “crime site” and find that the accused does not have the appropriate licence to sell liquor. On paper, the section they are charged under is about regulating the sale of alcohol. In practice, however, our guests for today’s episode identify how this type of FIRs and subsequent legal proceedings reveal how power and control operate in India.

Nikita Sonavane and Srujana Bej join us in this episode of Research Radio. We will be discussing their article titled Construction(s) of Female Criminality: Gender, Caste and State Violence. We recommend reading the two articles “The Anxious State” and “Death by Excise Policing: The Widening Web of Carcerality in India.” Their article was a part of a specially commissioned series of seven articles published in EPW Engage on the state of NT-DNT communities in India. Both researchers refer to the CPA Project's report "Drunk on Power: A Study of Excise Policing in Madhya Pradesh," which offers rich details and insights.

Nikita Sonavane is the co-founder of the Criminal Justice And Police Accountability Project (CPA Project) focused on building accountability against criminalisation of marginalised communities by the police and the criminal justice system. Srujana Bej is a lawyer and researcher with interests in spatial justice, the rights to food and education, and critical legal studies.