Movement allies: towards an analytical re-classification of civil rights groups in India

In this paper, I propose a different classificatory lens to analyse the collective action of civil rights groups in India. To date, this collective action has been variously classified as ‘non-party groups,’ ‘macro initiatives’ for grassroots groups, ‘action groups or support groups,’ as part of an emergent new left citizen’s initiatives, but mostly as a ‘social movement’ or ‘human rights movement.’ These differences in classification are not due to a considered disagreement; but because this activism is acutely understudied. Examining the history of such groups and the activist interviews I conducted, I argue for a re-classification of civil rights activism as ally activism i.e. they are allies of several, rather than a party to any particular social movement. Ally activism needs to be understood on its own terms to reveal their role in democratic deepening within South Asia.