Rethinking the concept of “Public” in colonial South Malabar, Kerala, India

Abstract

This article looks at the structure of “public” and its meanings in colonial South Malabar. What factors influence various social groups to engage with colonial public and unfold as key political players? How did upper caste-dominated colonial publics affect local political contexts? Why were certain social groups silenced as other groups were overwhelmingly favored in colonial publics? By analyzing the case of Kalpathy struggles in Palakkad, this paper brings the nuances of how claims for public were articulated, the responses of the state and nationalist movement, regional politics, and contestations. This essay demonstrates how the modern political process facilitates the formation of groups into political subjectivities, as well as how they influence exclusionary community power structures.