The Play of Biopolitics in Mahasweta Devi's <em>Draupadi</em>

Abstract

Critically considering the Agambenian status of “Camp (which) is the very paradigm of political space at the point of which politics become Biopolitics and Homosacer is virtually confused with the citizen” and the Foucauldian concept of Biopolitics -a system of regulation of the human body both biologically and politically, this article would like to explore the biopolitical praxis in Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi– a short story which tells about the explicit and exploitative representation of state-sponsored violence and resistance to it by the subaltern representative. The state-sponsored violence and the activities of the rebels set in a fictional but politically reverberating setting is an attractive field of exploration. Looking at the short story through the Foucauldian and Agambenian concept of controlling Bios both biologically and politically, this article would like to assess the ways in which Biopolitics coerces the population. This article would like to explore the biopolitical subjugation of the subaltern and contributes to the discussion on Biopolitics.