The Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) organized a talk on ‘The Dialectics of Neo-liberalisation: Land Acquisition in India and China’ delivered by Prof. Huang Yinghong, faculty at Global Law School, O. P. Jindal Global University on 30-10-2024.
Dr. Bhim Subba introduced the speaker and the session was chaired by Prof. Suan Hausing, faculty in the Department of Political Science, whose opening remarks on the complexity of land ownership set the tone for the lecture.
Prof. Huang’s pointed but nuanced talk opened with multiple forms of neo-liberalisation visible in the two countries: ‘coercive’, ‘resilient’ and ‘innovative’. He described how, despite differences in regimes, neo-liberalisation is the primary driver of land-acquisition in both the countries. On the basis of his study of around 11 projects in different cities of India and China, he established that this process is uneven, asymmetric and coercive.
However, the grievances from below regarding better compensation, livelihood etc., though expressed differently in the two countries, do lead to some reform and innovation in the land-acquisition process. Rapid development of civil society (NGOs, newspapers and journals, etc.) is of particular importance here. Overall, it can be said that regime differences in the two countries does not abet or accelerate the thrust of neo-liberalisation, but it does influence the various forms it takes. He ended the lecture by indicating an alternative to coercive development as the ‘right to development’ recognised as an ‘unalienable human right’ by UN General Assembly Resolution in 1986 which allows the subjects of ‘development’ greater say and agency in the process.
The talk was followed by a question-and-answer session. Rejoinders from the audience included comments on importance of regime, the need for greater contextual nuance to understand the dynamics of land-acquisition and how politics plays a role in it, and a question on how the land ownership system in China influences the acquisition process. The talk enriched students’ understanding of neo-liberal development by placing it in a larger framework. Professor Huang underlined the need to study India and China together, given the historical similarities and common geographical habitus.
Report by: Rajat Pratap (MA Political Science)