International Journal of Social Science & Economic Research
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Title:
THE POLITICS OF BRANDING PHOOLAN DEVI: A CONUNDRUM OF TERRORISM V/SJUSTICE

Authors:
Elina Ghosh

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Elina Ghosh
Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru

MLA 8
Ghosh, Elina. "THE POLITICS OF BRANDING PHOOLAN DEVI: A CONUNDRUM OF TERRORISM V/SJUSTICE." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 8, no. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 32-67, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2023.v08i01.003. Accessed Jan. 2023.
APA 6
Ghosh, E. (2023, January). THE POLITICS OF BRANDING PHOOLAN DEVI: A CONUNDRUM OF TERRORISM V/SJUSTICE. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 8(1), 32-67. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2023.v08i01.003
Chicago
Ghosh, Elina. "THE POLITICS OF BRANDING PHOOLAN DEVI: A CONUNDRUM OF TERRORISM V/SJUSTICE." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 8, no. 1 (January 2023), 32-67. Accessed January, 2023. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2023.v08i01.003.

References

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ABSTRACT:
The notion of ‘one man’s terrorist is other man’s freedom fighter’ is highly debated when it comes to branding a person as a terrorist in academia as well as in the legal field. In the absence of an internationally accepted definition of terrorism, the usage of the word “terrorism” and “resistance” is often misused and hence, branding of someone being a “terrorist” or “resister” becomes sloppy and incorrect. Phoolan Devi, the Bandit Queen, on one hand is seen to be a dauntless dacoit dressed in Khaki with a rifle on her shoulder who killed 22 Thakur men in broad day-light. And on the other hand, she emerges as ‘figure of resistance’ for the people of her community who stood up against the atrocities committed to them and killed their perpetrators. Now, is she a terrorist or a resistor? This research looks into the politics of these definitions and the politics of branding establishing the idea that defining/branding comes into play with a certain exercise of power indicating towards the politics of hierarchy. Therefore, definitions of ‘terrorism’ and ‘resistance’ are based on their contextual references and depend on who defines and with what motives and what agency

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