The Politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India

381 Pages·1976·17.101 MB·English

by  Marguerite Ross Barnett

The Politics
of Cultural Nationalism
in South India

The Politics of
Cultural Nationalism
in South India
MARGUERITE ROSS BARNETT
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey
Copyright © 1976 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press
Guildford, Surrey
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Library of Congress Cataloging In Publication date
will be found on the last printed page of this book
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey
TO MY MOTHER
Mary Ross Eubanks
Note on Transliteration
Generally I have tried to spell Tamil words as they would appear
in English texts in Tamil Nadu. When referring to authors and
titles of Tamil articles and books I have used a modified version
of the Tamil lexicon system of transliteration. Newspaper names,
publishers, and places of publication, however, have been trans
lated as they normally appear in English.
Contents
Note on Transliteration vi
List of Tables, Figures, and Map ix
Preface xi
1. Introduction 3
PART I: Origins of Tamil Nationalism
2. The Justice Party, the Non-Brahmin Movement, and Early
Conceptions of Dravidian-ness 15
3. Developing the Politics of Radical Social Reform 32
4. The Dravida Kazhagam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,
and Radical Politics in a Changing Political Arena 56
PART II: The Politics of Emergent Nationalism
5. The DMK and Emergent Cultural Nationalism 89
6. Politics of the Loyal Opposition 118
PART III: Elites, Masses, and Cultural Nationalism
7. Tamil Nationalism and the Political Culture of the Tamil
Nadu "Common Man" 161
8. DMK Political Leadership: the Men behind Tamil
Nationalism 187
PART IV: Cultural Nationalism and Public Policy
9. The DMK in Power: Contradictions of Cultural Nationalism
in the Annadurai Era 239
10. The DMK in Power: Contradictions of Cultural Nationalism
in the Karunanidhi Era 282
11. Conclusion 314
Appendix A: Communal Representation of Gazetted and Non-
Gazetted Officers in Province of Madras 330
Appendix B: Method for Sampling Party Leaders 332
Appendix C: DMK Organization 337
Appendix D: Questionnaire for Neighborhood Survey 338
Bibliography 345
Index 359

List of Tables, Figures, and Map
TABLES
2-1 Bachelors of Arts of Madras University 20
3-1 Male Political Prisoners Detained under Defense of
India Rules Report for Year Ending March 12, 1942 49
3-2 Number of Persons Arrested and Convicted for
Picketing up to January 1, 1939 52
4-1 Communal Representation in the Madras Presidency
Administration, 1944 59
5-1 Congress Vote in the 1952 and 1957 Elections 95
5-2 Communist Party of India Electoral Support 1952-1957 95
6-1 Results from 1959 Madras Corporation Elections 119
6-2 Electoral Change in Tamil Nadu, 1957-1971 140
6-3 Effect of DMK Presence on Vote for Congress,
Regression Results, 1967 and 1971 141
6-4 Effect of DMK Presence on Turnout, Regression
Results, 1967 and 1971 144
6-5 Urban Turnout in 1971 According to DMK Constituency
Presence (1957-1971) 146
6-6 Electoral Effectiveness of the DMK and Congress
in Tamil Nadu (1957-1971) 149
6-7 Polarization of Support in Tamil Nadu (1957-1971) 151
7-1 Political Efficacy, Chinnasami's Responses 169
7-2 Political Efficacy, Natarajan's Responses 174
7-3 Political Efficacy, Dorai's Responses 177
7-4 Political Efficacy, Five Case Subjects 183
8-1 Age, DMK Local-Level Leadership 188
8-2 Age, DMK General Council 189
8-3 Age, Congress Leadership 189
8-4 Year of Party Recruitment, DMK Local-Level Leadership 191
8-5 Year of Party Recruitment, DMK General Council 192
8-6 Year of Party Recruitment, Congress 192
8-7 Income, DMK Local-Level Leaders, DMK General
Council, and Congress 193
8-8 Occupation, DMK Local-Level Leadership 195
8-9 Occupation, DMK General Council 196
8-10 Occupation, Congress 197
8-11 Education, DMK Local-Level Leaders, DMK
General Council, and Congress 198
rx
8-12 Caste, DMK Local-Level Leadership 199
8-13 Caste, DMK General Council 200
8-14 Caste, Congress 201
8-15 Social and Religious Customs, DMK Local-Level Leaders,
DMK General Council, and Congress 202
8-16 Perception of District Problems, DMK Local-Level
Leadership 204
8-17 Perception of District Problems, DMK General Council 206
8-18 Perception of District Problems, Congress 207
8-19 Perception of State-Level Problems, DMK Local-Level
Leadership 209
8-20 Perception of State-Level Problems, DMK General Council 211
8-21 Perception of State-Level Problems, Congress 212
8-22 Initial Attraction to the DMK, DMK Local-Level Leadership 214
8-23 Initial Attraction to the DMK, DMK General Council 216
8-24 Initial Attraction to Congress 216
8-25 Attraction to the DMK Now, DMK Local-Level Leadership 227
8-26 Attraction to the DMK Now, DMK General Council 228
8-27 Attraction to Congress Now 230
9-1 Estimated Land Holdings in East Tanjore 261
FIGURES
1. Change in Number of Seats Won by Congress in 1952 and 1957 96
2. Change in Nature of Contests over Five General Elections 150
3. DMK Local-Level Leadership Recruitment Pattern 190
MAP
Spatial Spread of DMK Victories in 1967 and 1971 148
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