Politics of Articulation, Mediating Structures and Voluntarism: From 'Chauraha, to 'Chaupal'

Abstract

"There is a considerable concern in India about the 'silence' of a large number of disadvantaged groups who have either learned to be helpless or articulate their problems rather feebly. The nature of articulation, mediating structures or platforms for dialogue or negotiation be it political channels or voluntary arenas have to analysed as a basis of alienation of masses from the state. Emergence of the social movements encompassing ecological struggles particularly in backward regions indicates the limits of the patience of the poor disadvantaged people.

"One can hypothesize that NGOs emerged or became stronger when the political channels got partly chokes o that people could neither remodel the nature of their representation nor communicate with/through state bureaucracy. The transition in mediating structures has been studied through five metaphors i.e. from counter to corridor; corridor to courts; court to 'Chaurahas' (cross roads); 'Charuahas' to 'Char diwaris' (four walls) and finally from 'char diwari' to 'chaupal' as a future solution.

"The voluntary initiatives in this context could also reflect a way of reducing transaction costs, fulfilling ones urge to go beyond the mandated responsibilities or just to provide a channel of articulation to those who find the existing channels and platforms non accessible or non fulfilling. We have presented discussion on articulation, mediating platforms and voluntarism through following four questions in different parts of this paper."