This dissertation answers three questions: How is the mobilization of marginalized ethnic groups distinct from other groups? How do the social movements of a marginalized group impact its electoral mobilization by political parties? Why do ethnic parties of a marginalized group succeed in some cases, but fail in others? I study the democratic participation and mobilization of Dalits (former untouchables) across four large states in India – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
The study design takes advantage of a natural experiment created by the early movements of Dalits in some states, but not in others. Variation in the electoral performance of Dalit political parties at a moment of opportunity marked by party system fragmentation across all the states enables an exploration of how historical Dalit movements impact the prospects of Dalit parties. Drawing on data from the Indian National Election Study and findings gathered through eighty focus groups and more than four hundred open-ended interviews during fourteen months of fieldwork, I demonstrate that prior social movements demanding social inclusion curtail the electoral success of Dalit-based political parties. Where historically Dalits were able to participate in social movements, political parties seeking their support began to mobilize them directly.
Consequently, historical movements opposing the principle of social hierarchy resulted in the early inclusion of Dalits into multiethnic parties. Conversely, the absence of movements prevented multiethnic parties from developing inclusive mobilization strategies; this preserved the opportunity for ethnic parties to mobilize the marginalized on the basis of their exclusion. The divergent paths through inclusive multiethnic politics in some states and exclusive ethnic politics in others point towards different consequences for the quality of governance, in particular for the provision of public services.Ph.D.Political ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61773/1/aahuja_2.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61773/2/aahuja_1.pd
