I examine the conceptual trajectory of ‘backwardness’ in policy, politics and rural life to understand the term’s many uses in India. I examine links forged between backwardness and governance in colonial and post-colonial commissions and committees charged with assessing and affecting Indian democracy. Multiple commissions add confusion and ambiguity, setting a variable tone of backwardness in contemporary policies, citizens’ experience and claims-making. I examine the multiple voices that backwardness fosters and silences, engaging debates about mass politics, subjectivity, development and governance.
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