Ethnicity and Populist Mobilization in South India: A Study of Dravidian Politics

Narendra Subramanian’s *Ethnicity and Populist Mobilization: Political Parties, Citizens, and Democracy in South India* (1999) offers a pioneering analysis of the Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu, examining its evolution from early militant demands for secession and anti-Brahmanism to its transformation into a vehicle for social pluralism and emergent groups. The book, based on archival and ethnographic research, explores how ethnicity and populism shaped Tamil Nadu’s political landscape between 1947 and 1987, focusing on the DMK and ADMK parties. Subramanian categorizes the DMK as representing “assertive populism” and the ADMK as embodying “paternalist populism,” highlighting their distinct mobilization strategies. The study raises critical questions about preserving pluralist democracy amid ethnic mobilization, the role of populism in mitigating social conflict, and the conditions for its success in semi-industrialized societies. The book’s seven chapters trace the Dravidian movement’s trajectory, from its roots in late colonial society to the DMK’s rise and fall (1949–1976) and the ADMK’s emergence under MGR (1972–1987). Subramanian emphasizes MGR’s cinematic influence, particularly his portrayal of altruistic heroism, which reinforced paternalist norms in political culture. While the analysis of Tamil Nadu’s ethnic mobilization is thorough, the absence of comparative regional studies (e.g., Kerala or Karnataka) and limited appendices (e.g., the 1916 Non-Brahmin Manifesto) are noted as gaps. Despite these, the work is praised for its clarity in distinguishing the Dravidian movement’s dual facets and its broader implications for understanding pluralist democracy in ethnically charged contexts.

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