This paper examines the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protests as a case study in the strategic deployment of nonviolence within an authoritarian nationalist context. While often framed as a moral or cultural expression of Gandhian pacifism, it argues that nonviolence functioned as a calculated political practice that reconfigured legitimacy across state, media, and transnational publics. In doing so, it enabled marginalized agrarian actors to challenge the authority of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while operating as a counter-hegemonic force that exposed the contradictions of nationalist power. Drawing on theories of nonviolence (Webel and Khaydari; Nagler), nationalism (Ignatieff), and political myth-making (Hedges), the paper situates the protests within broader transformations in India’s political economy and the consolidation of authoritarian governance. Through an analysis of protest tactics, including mass mobilization, encampment at Delhi’s borders, and the use of community infrastructures such as langar, it demonstrates how nonviolent resistance enabled coalition-building across class, caste, and diasporic networks, while state actors and aligned media sought to delegitimize the movement through narratives of anti-nationalism, misinformation, and moral panic. Rather than weakening the movement, these strategies ultimately reinforced its legitimacy by revealing fractures within nationalist ideology. The repeal of the farm laws in November 2021 is thus understood not simply as a policy concession, but as the outcome of a sustained reconfiguration of political and moral authority. This case highlights the continued relevance of nonviolence as a dynamic and strategic force in contemporary struggles against authoritarianism.

Authors:
Noor Dhaliwal, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Noor Dhaliwal is a PhD student in Communication and Culture at Toronto Metropolitan University and York University, Canada. Her work explores visual culture, postcoloniality, and diaspora, focusing on the politics of representation in media.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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