GS Paper 1 15 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism.
Subtopic: Indian Society · Globalization, ethnicity and communalism
How to structure your answer
Introduction (post-1991 liberalisation) → identity assertion amid insecurity → ethnic/regional mobilisation → communal polarisation and media → counter-view (interdependence) → Conclusion (inclusive growth and secular institutions).
Written within the word limit
186 words · target 250 words · 14 min
Post-liberal economy, ethnic identity and communalism
India's post-1991 liberalisation reshaped not only its economy but also the politics of identity and belonging.
Impact on identity and communalism
- Insecurity and assertion: the dislocations and uncertainties of globalisation heightened anxieties, prompting people to fall back on ethnic, regional and religious identities — a “glocal” response that fuses global forces with local loyalties.
- Ethnic and regional mobilisation: intensified competition for jobs, land and resources sharpened “sons-of-the-soil” and anti-migrant sentiments in fast-growing cities and states.
- Communal polarisation: the same decades saw the rise of majoritarian identity politics, with religion mobilised for electoral and social ends.
- Media amplification: a liberalised, competitive television industry and later social media accelerated the spread of communal and identitarian narratives.
- Relative deprivation: uneven, unequal growth sharpened grievances that were frequently channelled along ethnic and religious lines.
A balancing view
- Liberalisation also expanded a mobile middle class, deepened economic interdependence and spread consumer cultures that can, over time, dilute parochial loyalties.
Arjun Appadurai's idea of the “fear of small numbers” captures how globalisation can breed majoritarian anxiety. The durable antidote lies in inclusive growth, employment generation and strong, credibly secular institutions.
What an examiner expects to see
- Post-1991 liberalisation's dislocations heightened insecurity, prompting a fallback on ethnic, regional and religious identities (“glocalisation”).
- Competition for jobs, land and resources fuelled sons-of-the-soil and anti-migrant sentiments in fast-growing cities.
- The period coincided with the rise of majoritarian identity politics and communal polarisation.
- Liberalised electronic media and later social media amplified communal and identitarian narratives.
- Uneven development and relative deprivation channelled grievances along ethnic/communal lines.
- Counter-view: liberalisation also created a mobile middle class, interdependence and consumer cultures that can weaken parochialism.
- Way forward: inclusive growth, employment generation and strong secular institutions.
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Arjun Appadurai's 'Fear of Small Numbers' on globalisation and majoritarian anxiety.
- Sons-of-the-soil movements and anti-migrant politics in cities like Mumbai.
- Growth of 24x7 television and social media shaping communal discourse after liberalisation.
- Rise of identity-based electoral mobilisation in the post-reform decades.
Terminology to weave into the answer
liberalisation and identityglocalisationsons-of-the-soilmajoritarianismrelative deprivation