2018/07/19 by Mona Chettri · 4 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #South Asian Studies and Conflicts #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #South Asian Studies and Diaspora #Politics #Democracy #Social movement #Political science #Context (archaeology) #State (computer science) #Sociology #Media studies #Law #Geography
paper · doi:10.1093/oso/9780199483556.003.0007
published in Oxford University Press eBooks, 135-153 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2018/07/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
‘Rowdies or rowdy’ refers to a person who fits somewhere between a gangster and a goon, not a criminal per se but prone to crime and violence, usually at the behest of political leaders. ‘Rowdies’ are the face of political movements, an integral and ubiquitous feature of Darjeeling politics. Their centrality to popular movements indicates a form of hill politics that challenges accepted notions of political participation, democracy, and mobilization. The essay engages in an assessment of the political culture of Darjeeling through the perspective of the ‘rowdies’ who are a product of the social, political, and material circumstances of postcolonial Darjeeling. It examines the vital role that ‘rowdies’ play in shaping the political terrain of the region and how their lives provide a context through which to understand contemporary state and society in Darjeeling.