Community Symbols in State Institutions: Presence and Implications

Abstract

This paper investigates the presence of community symbols in the state institutions (in India). It introduces the idea of symbolic interaction in these state institutions and the exclusionary practice through those symbols, on the grounds of community identities such as religion, caste and ethnicity, is a major focus of this study. In pursuit of a critical examination of the claims of secularism through a qualitative study, the researcher adopted observation method and analysis as a suitable method. The public higher educational institution is chosen the site of study because it has a direct public interaction for its existence. The researcher also conducted in-depth interviews using semi-structured interview guide with the students belonging to different educational institutions as the focus of this research is based on exploration of educational institutes which are identified as ideological state apparatus by Althusser. This idea exclusively talks about power and authority expressed through educational means, while discussing the idea of local forms of power. Foucault takes major inputs from the Althusser’s concept of Ideological State Apparatus because education also has great contribution in our socialization. Also followed the ideas of Emile Durkheim and Mary Douglas and others who have elaborated the affiliation of identity and symbols and social importance of community symbols for unity and seclusion among society. Findings from this research it was been observed that, there is strong nexus of government and the dominant community in the state institutions, and the interdependency of their existence, of political social and religious instruments which communicate through the symbols On the other hand social gets the power from political, for sustenance and growth. It is also found that social issue of ‘exclusion’ makes the power relation visible in the democratic-secular state institutions and the tool of exclusion is based on community symbols. So the overall discussion is about the duality of ideology and practice in state institutions.