answers

No subject is more difficult to discuss than a nation's political culture, especially when the nation is India which has a very ancient civilization and a relatively young identity as a sovereign democratic republic . Discuss in the light of the variant political culture in India.

Framework:

Introduction- Defining Political Culture on Vebra and Almond model of Parochial, Subject Oriented, Participative and Cognition based.

Discussing the problems of studying Political culture of a nation due to skewed nature of socio economic development, different levels of cognition levels attained by populations in different parts of a single countyr, how India with such a varied demography becomes a difficult geography to assess the political culture.

Discussing different political cultures in India in different historical epochs. Epochs identified as Mauryan/Gupta/Ashoka/Mughal periods where there were traces of Participative Political Culture through say Diwan-e-Aam, Public hearings of socio eco problems etc..(not stressing too much, just 1 para of 4-5 lines)

Discussing current context. Parochial Pol Culture in North East and Red Corridor Area, Subject Oriented in most part of Northern Plains and Deccan, Participative in developed states like Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu..role of new measures like Citizen Charters, Social Audit, rising Civil Society which is moving us towards Participative and Cognition based Pol Culture

Conclusion: Optimistic one sugegsting we are moving towards Cognition based Pol Culture thereby upholding the democratic values deeply enshrined in our constitution


Agreed friend. Thats why i thought of just obliquely touching upon political culture in ancient times. I also now realise that i did not bifurcate the Pol Culture post independence into the Pol Culture during Socialist model of State during 1950-80s and post liberalisation post 1990 in India.

Phase 1: 1947-67 ---- Centralised Admin, Centralised planning---> Development of certain pockets ---> Islands of Prosperity in the ocean of Povery ---> Parochial political but Democractic Values were there----- Constitutional values were respected----


Phase 2: 67-90 --- Emotions > values or cognition--- Politicization of B due to Prime Ministerial form of Govt---> Rise of many regional parties---> Challenge to Congress---> Criminalisation of polity + Politicization of B ----> Obj was to stay in power by any means----> Pol parties wanted to take the advantage of ppl emotions based on caste, religion , etc


Phase 3: Rise of Participative political culture---- Co-aalition govt---> ppl participation( 73, 74 amend) + CC + RTI+ Social Audits---- checks and balances ---> Pariticipation of ppl and accountability ----> Political culture based on Cognition and values of Constitution


reference frame -woodrow's
Introduction- quite good
discussing diff cultures in India-- Connection pol culture as subsystem to bigger sociocultural system . Path travelled from socialist centralized democracy to liberalized decentalized democracy, Pol culture vis a vis balance of legs of democracy- pol executive, bureaucracy, judiciary, legislature, how each leg changing with time, such as judical activism, citizen participation

Variation in Pol culture of India since independence(some more pts)
1. Rise of regional parties
2. Growing role of coalition politics , compulsions and advantages
3. caste based voting to voting based on dpt issues(bihar etc.)
4. Political corruption getting higlighted .
5. socio political movements by tribals, women,dalit and on issues like environment coming into political discourse
6. challenge to supremacy of legislature from other actors .

models of political culture.source-wikipedia
According to their level and type of political participation and the nature of people's attitudes toward politics, Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba outlined three pure types of political culture:

* Parochial - Where citizens are only remotely aware of the presence of central government, and live their lives near enough regardless of the decisions taken by the state. Distant and unaware of political phenomena. He has neither knowledge or interest in politics. In general congruent with a traditional political structure.
* Subject - Where citizens are aware of central government, and are heavily subjected to its decisions with little scope for dissent. The individual is aware of politics, its actors and institutions. It is affectively oriented towards politics, yet he is on the "downward flow" side of the politics. In general congruent with a centralized authoritarian structure.
* Participant - Citizens are able to influence the government in various ways and they are affected by it. The individual is oriented toward the system as a whole, to both the political and administrative structures and processes (to both the input and output aspects). In general congruent with a democratic political structure.

These three 'pure' types of political culture can combine to create the 'civic culture', which mixes the best elements of each.[3]