Biocultural metrics and the moral policing of young people’s politics in contemporary India

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the measures the Indian government uses to police young women’s politics. Paradoxically, these measures rely on traditional techniques as opposed to digital and ‘flash’ techniques - curfews, moral policing and dress codes - where traditional techniques draw on the strength of familial and social networks to help police and control dissent amongst young women on college campuses and, thereby, cement the role of women in the private sphere. Moreover, these measures further marginalise women and students from vulnerable populations, making higher education and upward mobility less accessible to them.