This project arises out of the conundrum posed by the simultaneous presence of many active civic institutions and persistent inter-group conflict even during peace times. The puzzling case of the western Indian state of Gujarat goes against the dominant assumption of much scholarly literature that a robust civil society produces a peaceful democratic order. This project asks: How might everyday activities of civic institutions produce persistent feelings of inter-group antagonism or solidarity? The hypothesis is that even a robust civil society can generate persistent social tension when the everyday activities of its dominant civic institutions produce systematic social exclusion of particular ethno-religious groups. Rather than merely examining the exclusion of particular groups in numerical terms, the study analyzes the processes by which such exclusion comes to be produced within associations. Over twelve months, the researcher investigated four civic institutions in Gujarat's city of Ahmedabad. The principal research methods included observation of associational projects, interviews with association members and independent scholars, and the analysis of documents and other archival material pertaining to the association's activities. The data for civic practices of each association was collected in the following categories: 1) ideological orientation, 2) associational activities, 3) membership profile, and 4) political affiliation. The data on possible attitudes of hostility was gathered through open-ended interviews with association members.
Intellectual merit: Current studies on civil society and social conflict primarily focus on cross-city and national level data, and are unable to tell us much about what kinds of associational practices may produce persistent inter-group hostility. By using ethnographic methods and the comparative case study approach to examine four diverse civic associations, this research generated descriptive data about the process by which social exclusion is produced. The project contributes to the literature on civil society and social conflict by developing a theory of civic practices and democratic order that examines how "micro-civic" practices produce everyday social tension. Thus, it sheds light not just on occasional, spectacular outbreaks of violent hostilities, but also on the less dramatic but more chronic forms of everyday social tension between groups. There are several conditions of this research design that demonstrate its efficiency. The researcher's training in social science research methodology, native proficiency in Gujarati, and extensive familiarity with the field site makes her well qualified to carry out this project. Additionally, the researcher obtained formal affiliation at three leading research centers in Ahmedabad, which enabled access to data crucial for the proposed project.
Broader impact: The research examines and explains the process which produces the systematic exclusion of marginalized ethno-religious groups from civic life, even in a democracy. This will benefit society by highlighting the need to create more inclusive and participatory civic associations. It will also provide policy makers with useful information about the kinds of civic institutions that will generate the conditions for peaceful democracy and those that will produce social antagonism.
