West Bengal Political Science Review | Vol. XXVIII, 2026 | ISSN: 2230-8296
Editor’s Note
This edition of the West Bengal Political Science Review is contextualised in times of tumult and uncertainty worldwide. As political scientists, we witness developments both within and outside the country that stimulate discursive exercises to analyse issues, assess events, developments and even perhaps reassess what was written and spoken before. Scholars have confessed to the fact that the world of homo sapiens is indeed mind baffling and the interface with the matters of sustainability involving both man made and natural challenges needs serious academic probing into the roots and consequences of the litany of issues. As political scientists, we feel that there is a continuous need to have conversations on the state of political science as a discipline, and comprehend the emerging issues that need to be part of conversations and debates – the state of democracy as we know it, with various shades of globalisation, and need to revisit ideologies, the emerging geoeconomics of trade wars and oil politics, the present humanitarian crises that is manifold.
In this context, the journey of the largest democracy and the 76-year-old Republic of India has been neither linear nor easy. India’s fast developing trajectory is undercut by the challenges of economic inequality, poor governance, corruption, ethno-religious binaries and the rising challenges of majoritarianism. India’s growth story certainly straddles new technologies, the use of artificial intelligence and generation of knowledge. But the story of welfarism stands to scrutiny. When one speaks of welfare, the spectrum spans from the ability of the state to protect its citizens from terror attacks, to providing socio economic security, equality, rights and personal dignity across social distinctions and denominations. The growing tides of political defection, divisive politics, that questions the pluralist and inclusive nature of socio-cultural underpinnings of Indian civilisation makes it impending for thinking minds to bring the issues on board with clarity and precision and not prevaricate. I am very happy to present, in this edition, the contributions of some of the most senior political scientists of our times alongside those of young academics and research scholars who have placed their views and ideas on a range of issues. The view of the authors are entirely theirs and the journal does not subscribe to any of them. I hope that this edition of West Bengal Political Science Review is a modest contribution to this exercise of academic probe and prognosis of what is happening around us, globally, regionally, nationally and locally.
I thank all the authors for their contributions and the reviewers for their support. The support of my colleagues of the editorial board have been constant and consistent. I am truly grateful to them. I wish this edition the very best.
Ishani Naskar
09.06.2025
Kolkata.