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Neoliberal Globalisation, women, work, and forced migrations: Towards an Ethnographic understanding of Indian Society

Dr Ruchira Ganguly-Scrase
Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies 
(CAPSTRANS)

Since its independence in 1947 India pursued inward-looking development strategies comprising state-regulated policies that were largely protectionist. In 1991 this approach was reversed in favour of greater integration with the global economy through market liberalisation. This discussion will outline some of the consequences of this dramatic reorientation for various segments of society that my research has examined. I will highlight the centrality of ethnographic analysis that characterises my research. In doing so I will focus on the transformation of gender relations, the nature of work and most importantly draw attention to the ways in which aggressive pursuit of neoliberal agendas has led to massive displacements of people while simultaneously giving rise to exclusionary politics. While globalisation conjures up a vision of a borderless world, as a result of free flow of goods, increasingly the Indian nation state has hardened its attitudes towards cross-border migrants and refugees, often becoming mired in debates around ‘foreign infiltration’.