Doing Political Science Differently: Experiences from an Institute of Social Sciences
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2321023017698266 |
| Author | Jagannath Ambagudia |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Teaching-Learning Politics in India |
Teaching-Learning Politics in India
Doing Political Science Differently:
Experiences from an Institute of
Social Sciences
Jagannath Ambagudia1
The contemporary social sciences are fast acquiring an interdisciplinary character, and pose a challenge
to relevance of the ‘mainstream’ disciplines. The institutions of higher learning are increasingly focusing
on interdisciplinary courses, particularly at the postgraduate level. The recently established central
universities2 and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) are some of the relevant examples in this
context. These institutions are disseminating classroom teaching and conducting research on issues that
blend the concerns of different disciplines, and that essentially go beyond the disciplinary boundary of a
particular kind. However, some of the social sciences, such as political science, appear to be losing their
relevance over the period.
The discipline of political science has a unique position in social sciences. This uniqueness emanates
from issues, contexts and actors on which it has been contemplating since the origin of the discipline.
Political science contributes to the understanding of concepts, such as state, government, constitution,
political parties, citizenship, rights, liberty, equality, justice, power, etc. It also engages with some of the
important components of research, such as democratization, conflict resolution and political develop-
ments, which are not only significant for society but also important for the development of the discipline
(Peters, 2014, pp. 287–288). Political science equips us ‘to reflect critically (yet impartially and objec-
tively) on how society understands concepts, theories and empirical data relevant to democratic choices
and actions’ (Wood, 2015).
This note attempts to gauge the contemporary relevance of political science in terms of its relation-
ship with other social sciences. The note draws on my experience of teaching political science in a social
science institute–the TISS, Guwahati. However, the issues and contexts discussed here are relevant for
the wider community of students of political science and other social sciences.
Note: This section is coordinated by Rajeshwari Deshpande (rajeshwari.deshpande@gmail.com).
1 Associate Professor, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, & Chairperson, Unit for Research and Development, Tata Institute of
Social Sciences, Guwahati Campus, India.
2 Under the Central Universities Act of 2009, the Government of India established 13 central universities such as central universi-
ties of South Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir (two—Central University of Jammu and Central
University of Kashmir), Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa (Odisha), Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu in 12 states in the year
2009.
Studies in Indian Politics
5(1) 67–72
© 2017 Lokniti, Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/2321023017698266
http://inp.sagepub.com
Corresponding author:
Jagannath Ambagudia, Associate Professor, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, & Chairperson, Unit for
Research and Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Campus, 14A, Bhuban Road, Uzan Bazaar,
Guwahati- 781001, Assam, India.
E-mail: ambagudia@gmail.com
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