Research was ethnographic and included interviews, participant observation, group discussions, and conversations in the urban enclaves of Madurai and its satellite villages. The intention here was to capture the diversity of individual and group experiences and chart the localised impact of political change. The aim of the research was to chart the changes in Dalit politics that had occurred since the late 1990s when the largest Dalit movement in the state decided to contest elections. The entry of Dalit (ex-Untouchable) movements into Tamil political institutions in the 1990s was a major milestone, but there has been no systematic study of their impact as yet. This proposed ethnography of a Dalit party will offer detailed analyses of the conditions of activism and how Dalit activists and leaders negotiate institutionalisation. The project will deepen understandings of the interplay between caste and political representation and explore the potential inconsistencies between Dalit party politics and the concerns of those at the grass-roots. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panther Party), are the most successful Dalit movement-turned-party in Tamil Nadu. Existing studies, however, have failed to capture the perceptions and actions of rank-and-file Dalit activists and voters. The main aim of this project is to chart the VCK’s political integration at the grass-roots level. The research will probe whether and/or how the demands and critiques of Dalit movements have been integrated into wider political discourses and practices. It will, thus, address the openness of political systems to new actors and ideas, and representation in a caste-divided society. The key methods employed will be participant observation and interviews with active and non-active Dalits and Dalit leaders, policy-makers, analysts and NGO staff.

The research hinged on an ethnographic study of Dalit politics. It involved ethnographic interviews, informal conversations, and group discussions. The interviews were recorded on a digitial voice recorder where permitted before being transcribed and translated in part. Additionally, I took detailed fieldnotes of interactions, events and public meetings. See above description of the research for more details.