Daily Times

“In some countries, such as India, the very possibility of dissent is becoming so small because dissent against the government is labelled as ‘anti-national’ and has the effect of polarizing even the moderates,’says academic from Oxford University, Dr. Maya Tudor while speaking at The Distinguished Lecture Series organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on the “Rise of Nationalism: The Future of Democracy in the Global Age”

While speaking on nationalism, Dr. Tudor articulated that while nationalism has the potential to be exclusionary, it is problematic for democracy when it discriminates against the internal minority groups. ‘Rise of identity politics has led to rise of majoritarian nationalism. Power has been heavily centralized in India,’ she added. Dr. Niloufer Siddiqui, discussant and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Albany, highlighted that nationalism as a concept is multidimensional, and can be used as an inclusive force for good.

Talking on the future of democracy in digital age, Dr. Tudor mentioned that leaders reach out to people through tweets, and social media platforms. ‘Social media platforms feed you with the preexisting views and more polarized views. The consequence of this for democracy is that there is no debate, no genuine questioning,’ she explained. Ejaz Haider, discussant and journalist, noted that there is a need to create spaces for dissent. He added that tensions inherent in nationalism need to be moderated with force of civic nationalism i.e. have citizens that are really proud of the identity that they have.