Javeed Alam (12 August 1943 – 5 December 2016) was an activist and thinker[1] who served as Chairman of the Indian Council for Social Science Research from 2008 to 2011.

Javeed Alam
Born(1943-08-12)12 August 1943
Died5 December 2016(2016-12-05) (aged 72)
NationalityIndian
OccupationAcademician
Known forActivist, Thinker

Early life

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Javeed Alam was born to Khadija and Alam Khundmiri[2] in the erstwhile State of Hyderabad that was ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad. His parents were leftist activists in Hyderabad and his family were deeply involved in the Telangana struggle of the peasantry. He completed his BA and MA degrees at Osmania University, getting a gold medal for standing first in the MA. He did his PhD at the Indian School of International Studies (ISIS), Delhi, and got his doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) since ISIS was merged with JNU.[3]

Activism and career

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Alam, described as a Marxist,[4] was associated with the CPI(M) since the 1970s.[5] His teaching career at Delhi University’s Salwan College was terminated since he married Jayanti Guha, a Hindu. This led to a larger agitation that was backed by the Teachers' association and defended the secular character of the University. From 1973 to 1999 he taught at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU). He returned to Hyderabad in the late 1990s and taught at the English and Foreign Languages University from which he retired in 2005. He was Chairman of the Indian Council for Social Science Research from 2008 to 2011.[6][7]

Publications

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  • Dissent and Domination: Peasants and Politics (1985)[8]
  • India: Living With Modernity (1999)[9]
  • Who Wants Democracy? (2004)[10]
  • Gandhi: A Philosophical Debate (Special Issue of Social Scientist, May-June 2006).

References

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  1. ^ "Javeed Alam Author Profile". Economic and Political Weekly. EPW. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Javeed Alam -- a Thinker and an Activist". NewsClick. 5 December 2016.
  3. ^ Bilgrami, Akeel. "Marx, Gandhi and Modernity Essays presented to Javeed Alam". Leftword. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  4. ^ Nigam, Aditya (7 December 2016). "Javeed Alam, a Marxist Who Never Let Go of His Principles". thewire.in. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Javeed Alam | Peoples Democracy". peoplesdemocracy.in.
  6. ^ Patnaik, Prabhat. "Javed Alam — a Thinker and an Activist". The Social Science Collective. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  7. ^ "People | Javeed Alam | The Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University". heymancenter.org.
  8. ^ Alam, Javeed (1985). Domination and Dissent: Peasants and Politics. ISBN 8185010005.
  9. ^ Alam, Javeed; Alam, Senior Fellow Javeed (1999). India: Living with Modernity. ISBN 0195645251.
  10. ^ Alam, Javeed (2012). Who Wants Democracy?. ISBN 978-8125045519.