Description
The discipline of International Relations (IR) is hegemonic. The sacrosanct sovereign states exclude the voices from the margins. The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue of marginalisation. The paper argues that despite the claims about inclusive democracy, the fact remains that people in India are marginalised at various levels; social exclusion being one of the most conspicuous markers of such marginalisation. While the economic costs of the pandemic have been well documented, the material bases of caste are ignored. The obsession with methodological nationalism denies any engagement with the margins. By having a limited ontological stance, the discipline of IR narrows its scope and allows the perpetuation and sustenance of exclusion by the states. Therefore, the paper argues for bringing emancipation to the fore. The argument rests on the theoretical premises of Aberystwyth School of Critical Security Studies, which asserts that the foundation of real security is established in the pursuit of emancipation. However, the paper seeks to redefine the idea of emancipation by postulating in the form of ‘dignity as emancipation’. The paper uses the writings of Ambedkar and EVR Periyar alongside the untold stories from the margins to redefine emancipation in terms of dignity.
