"Krea has offered me the opportunity to explore all my interests in the same place, and has changed the way I approach problems and come up with impactful solutions".

Aishwarya Sivaramakrishnan

Cohort of 2022
Passionate about creating measurable social impact in the field of education, and dreams of moving to Germany and owning a library

Politics at Krea

The study of politics examines human communities, the ways in which they forge a common life through their ideas and values, interests and institutions, and how they often come into conflict with each other. It seeks an understanding of power in its multiple embodiments, among groups, castes, genders, classes, and between citizens and state. The levels of analysis that students grapple with in their courses range from local, national, and regional to global. We provide the skills required for students to develop evidence-based, historically grounded and conceptually rigorous understandings of political developments, of ideologies, and of ethical collective action.

At Krea, we use the term ‘politics’ instead of ‘government’ or political science deliberately, to highlight the large terrain that politics occupies and the necessity of multidisciplinary approaches to understand various dimensions of political life. Politics, therefore, is not confined only to the inner workings of the governments or to formal institutional spaces in society. It also needs insights from other social science disciplines to make its complex workings visible. We believe the study of politics will prepare students to play the role of active and conscientious citizens in society.

The Approach

Our curriculum covers a large number of themes including democratic practices, violence, social movements, political power, law, justice and freedom, civic action, populism, spaces and infrastructures, marginality and privilege, the state, international relations, and globalisation. We draw from recognised subfields of political theory, political philosophy, comparative politics, Indian politics, public policy, political economy and international politics. In exploring the history of ideas, we highlight the issues and idioms of politics of the ‘global south’. A special focus is also placed on Indian democratic experiences and challenges. Through a set of core and elective courses, students not only broaden their understanding of the field of politics but also deepen their knowledge in areas of their interest within it.

At a time of ecological crisis, global pandemics, abundance of digital objects and communication, the ideas of politics, decision-making and territoriality are undergoing significant transformation. Growing inequality within and across states and societies at a time of rapid globalisation throws new challenges before governments and international organisations. Students doing a Politics major will gain the understanding to unpack complexities, including deeper ethical questions underlying these phenomena.

Programme Details