Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

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  Cultural Transformation at the End of Soviet Socialism

  29 July

  BOOK REVIEW The Spirit of Socialism: Culture and Belief at the Soviet Collapse by Joseph Kellner
  Cornell University Press 2025. 242 pp. (cloth), ISBN 978-1-5017-8151-3 Reviewed by Margaret McCool
  Joseph Kellner’s monograph, The Spirit of Socialism: Culture and Belief at the Soviet Collapse, offers a fresh and illuminating perspective on how ordinary Soviet citizens navigated the collapse of the Soviet Union by turning to new cultural phenomena to orient themselves to a rapidly changing (…)

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  Video: Catherine Liu: the Psychology of Liberalism | Doomscroll

  29 July

  Play
  Catherine Liu: the Psychology of Liberalism | Doomscroll by Joshua Citarella https://youtu.be/22eh9bHVeTc?si=KnSqmZhHatYbO-N5

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  Photo: Two protestors at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi holding a placard with text in hindi calling for accountability (july 2026)

  29 July

• Women Counted as “Employed” — But Actually Unpaid Family Workers | Deepa Palathingal, Palak Kunwar

  14 July

  In India when the participation rate of the female labour force rises, it is often seen as a positive sign of progress and inclusion. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), reported an increase in rate from 23.3% in 2017–18 to about 41.7% in 2023–24, which is indeed a big improvement. However, these figures may not be 100 percent accurate. A large part of this rise is due to women working in family businesses or farms where they are not paid rather than in paid or formal jobs. Many (…)

• The RSS Registration Controversy: A Footnote | Partha S. Ghosh

  14 July, by Partha S Ghosh

  It is surprising that RSS is not a registered organisation even after 100 years of its existence. What is even more surprising is that the Congress Party which ruled India for so many years did not insist upon this basic requirement of a rule-based society. Leave aside the Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel who had expressed his appreciation for its role in refugee relief during the Partition days, even Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was avowedly anti-RSS, did not raise this basic (…)

• The unchanging evolution of the RSS on caste | Hrushikesh Tripathy

  14 July

  June 5, 2026
  Abstract
  This essay examines the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s century-long engagement with caste, arguing that the organisation’s evolution from Hedgewar to Bhagwat constitutes a performance of reform rather than genuine ideological transformation. It contends that the shift toward Samajik Samarasata (Social Harmony) represents a calculated electoral strategy rather than a conversion to structural egalitarianism, and that the RSS has systematically weaponised its sewa (…)

• Beyond Choice: Why Education Policy Must Serve the Common Good? | Adama Srinivas Reddy

  14 July, by Adama Srinivas Reddy

  The inauguration of the first Telangana Public School (TPS) at Arutla by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy marks an important moment in the history of public education in Telangana. The Chief Minister described the initiative as a flagship effort to restore confidence among parents in government education. He announced that Telangana Public Schools would eventually be established in every Assembly constituency, offering high-quality English-medium education, transportation, sports facilities, (…)

• From Isolation to Integration: India’s New Cross-Border Insolvency Regime | Sandhya Sharma

  14 July

  The IBC Amendment Bill, 2026 finally equips India with the tools to resolve multinational insolvencies - but questions of implementation remain
  In today’s global world, where business and economic activities are not confined to its territorial states, in such scenarios business failure of one corporate entity can have ripples effects across different jurisdictions. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 enacted nearly a decade back bought a paradigm shift and complete overhaul to the (…)

• From Glass Ceiling Breakthroughs to Glass Cliff Vulnerabilities: Gendered Leadership, Organizational Crisis and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Experience in Kerala | Jos Chathukulam

  14 July, by Jos Chathukulam

  Abstract The resignation of Ms. Shweta Menon and the full team from the leadership structure of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) has reopened important debates concerning gender, representation, and institutional power within Kerala’s cultural sector. While her elevation to leadership was initially celebrated as evidence of a historic breakthrough in women’s representation, subsequent developments invite a more critical interpretation. This article argues that the (…)

• Muslims in West Bengal: On the Road to Unfreedom? | Arup Kumar Sen

  14 July, by Arup Kumar Sen

  Immediately after coming to power in the state of West Bengal in 2026, the BJP government has been taking new measures of governance to curtail the freedom of the Muslim community. The Hindu reported (May 28, 2026): “Kolkata’s Id-ul-Azha celebrations this year were marked by a major shift in venue, moving from the traditional Red Road to the Brigade Parade Ground for the morning prayers. The festival also witnessed no public slaughter of animals after a May 13 notification by the West Bengal (…)