While Asia, a diverse and dynamic region, has witnessed various forms of governance throughout its history, in recent times, concerns have been raised about the rise of populism and/or authoritarianism. This panel seeks to explore the nature of fascism/authoritarianism in this region. Is the nature of fascism/authoritarianism the same in this region compared to Western/European counterparts? In response to Ramin Jahanbegloo's question "Is there an Indian fascism?" Ashis Nandy argues, “Indian civilization, which has no direct experience of that particular version [European] of authoritarianism and has always worked with ill-defined, open ended concept of evil, finds it more difficult to deal with various modern versions of authoritarianism”.
This panel invites theoretical and/or empirical research that critically examines the features (distinct or otherwise) of authoritarianism/fascism in Asian context and beyond. We aim to identify and analyze historical antecedents contributing to the emergence of authoritarianism and to explore the socio-cultural factors influencing the development and sustenance of authoritarian regimes. Simultaneously we plan to investigate the role of technology, media, civil society, developmentalist narratives, nationalist discourse, discourse of national security and so on in shaping and reinforcing authoritarian tendencies.
We invite abstracts on topics including but not limited to:
Authoritarianism/Fascism in Asia (Any historical moment to now)
Biopolitics
Manufacturing the consent
Nation-building and Authoritarianism
Extra-judicial killings
Resisting Authoritarianism (past or present)
Silencing the narratives
Radical Alternatives
Democracy and Populism
Anti-Authoritarian Political Thoughts in Asia
Secular/religious authoritarianism
Manipulations of elections using state power
Politics of Propaganda