Friday, May 2, 2025
2:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer St
Q&A and Reception with Yogendra Yadav to Follow
Yogendra Yadav — Reclaiming India’s democratic republic
Yogendra Yadav is an Indian activist and political thinker known for his unwavering commitment to democracy, social justice, and constitutional values. Starting his career as a teacher of Political Science at Panjab University, Chandigarh and then as a Professorial Fellow at Delhi based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), he was among the founders of Lokniti at CSDS, instrumental in the revival of National Election Studies in India, among the initiators of State of Democracy in South Asia reports and involved in rewriting of school textbooks of Political Science for the NCERT. His books include Making Sense of Indian Democracy (Permanent Black, 2020) and Crafting State-Nations (with Alfred Stepan and Juan Linz, John Hopkins University Press, 2011). He was involved in the making of education policy and was a member of the University Grants Commission.
Since 1995 he was associated with Samajwadi Janparishad, an experiment in alternative politics, that drew inspiration from the Gandhian socialist tradition. In 2012 he was among the founders of Aam Aadmi Party and went on to establish Swaraj India. He was involved in the movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act, was in the apex committee that guided the historic Farmers protest in 2020-21 and walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He is the National Convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, a civil society initiative to protect and promote constitutional values and democratic institutions. His journey blends intellectual depth with grassroots activism, making him a prominent voice in India's democratic and social movements.
Since 1995 he was associated with Samajwadi Janparishad, an experiment in alternative politics, that drew inspiration from the Gandhian socialist tradition. In 2012 he was among the founders of Aam Aadmi Party and went on to establish Swaraj India. He was involved in the movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act, was in the apex committee that guided the historic Farmers protest in 2020-21 and walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He is the National Convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, a civil society initiative to protect and promote constitutional values and democratic institutions. His journey blends intellectual depth with grassroots activism, making him a prominent voice in India's democratic and social movements.