Decoding the ‘andolanjeevis’: foregrounding ‘reasoned emotion’ as a mobiliser in the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement

Abstract

Civic protests around the globe have tried to highlight the increasing soft authoritarianism in democratic states. Under strict scrutiny, protestors have to devise a methodology that can help spread their message and yet not attract legal attention. Using a first-hand account, through activist-participatory observation, in the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement at the University of Hyderabad, India in 2016, this article develops the concept of ‘reasoned emotion’ to show how andolanjeevis tried to reach out to the non-protesting university community. The movement was aimed at seeking justice for the institutional discrimination meted out to Dalit-Bahujan students in Indian universities, and it started after the suicide of Rohith Vemula – an exceptionally bright, politically active Dalit doctoral researcher at the University of Hyderabad. By sharing factual legal documents to gain legitimacy and highlight the atrocities committed by the university administration in ‘socially boycotting’ five Dalit students, the andolanjeevis used binding reason to appeal to the emotional knowledge of the students. The performative aspect of the emotional appeal not only empowers protestors to mobilise empathy but also engenders an act of de-silencing suppressed narratives. This conceptualisation of the activism space foregrounds reason with emotion to build affective communities of support and solidarity.