Lineages of political society: studies in postcolonial democracy

TLDR

Partha Chatterjee extends his theory of society to underscore its relevance in contemporary political debate. Chatterjee critiques three centuries of Western political theory to question whether democracy can be enacted in the Western model within postcolonial societies. Using postcolonial societies, especially Indian communities, as examples, Chatterjee employs a realist critique and genre‑bending analysis to challenge liberal democratic assumptions and the prevailing claims of postcolonial studies. He demonstrates that political difference does not equate to philosophical or cultural backwardness outside the West.

Abstract

Partha Chatterjee, a pioneering theorist known for his disciplinary range, builds on his theory of society and reinforces its salience to contemporary political debate. Dexterously incorporating the concerns of South Asian studies, postcolonialism, the social sciences, and the humanities, Chatterjee broadly critiques the past three hundred years of western political theory to ask, Can democracy be brought into being, or even fought for, in the image of Western democracy as it exists today? Using the example of postcolonial societies and their political evolution, particularly communities within India, Chatterjee undermines the certainty of liberal democratic theory in favor of a realist view of its achievements and limitations. Rather than push an alternative theory, Chatterjee works solely within the realm of critique, proving political difference is not always evidence of philosophical and cultural backwardness outside of the West. Resisting all prejudices and preformed judgments, he deploys his trademark, genre-bending, provocative analysis to upend the assumptions of postcolonial studies, comparative history, and the common claims of contemporary politics.