Draṣṭā // Course

Western Sociology Crisis: Blaming the Majority is Unscientific

This 3-day online workshop critically examines the dominant theories in Western sociology that frame the majority population as inherently oppressive—a stance that plays out extensively in the Indian context. With sharp analytical tools and deep historical insights, from the author of 'The Majoritarian Myth: How Unscientific Social Theories Create Disharmony' this course will attempt to dismantle the flawed assumptions behind 'counter-majoritarianism,' showing how they distort our understanding of Indian society and hinder genuine social harmony.

04 Jul - 06 Jul 2025 Completed

Overview

This workshop challenges the unscientific foundations of several social theories widely taught in prestigious academic institutions, which often exacerbate rather than resolve social intolerance in India.

The workshop plans to critically re-examine the widely accepted idea of ‘majoritarianism’ as it is understood in the social sciences. The theory says that the blame for any event of social intolerance rests with the majority, as the majority is always oppressive. This is called counter-majoritarianism (or simply majoritarianism). It examines how this theory, though influential, lacks empirical grounding and fails to account for India’s complex social realities.

Intent

The workshop will show why this theory is unscientific in a very lucid manner, even though it appeals to analytical tools inspired by thinkers such as Ronald Coase, Karl Popper, and Friedrich Hayek. The workshop will contrast the dominant ‘Majoritarian Hypothesis’ with a more precise explanatory model—the Linear Theory of Social Evolution (LTSE). This framework exposes how moral intolerance often arises not from demographics but from flawed ideological constructs.

The concept of a majoritarian Hindu fails to explain any of the empirical reality of the social phenomenon in India. With historical analysis this workshop will also cite that the road to social harmony cannot lie with cultural Marxism and its progenitor liberalism. This then possesses some key questions: Is the majority inherently culpable in social discord? Can equity be truly achieved by ignoring foundational truths?

Drawing from Indic ideas like the Mahābhārata, sustainable social harmony requires going beyond theory—into lived dharma. Rather than defaulting to reactive blame or imported ideological templates like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, this workshop proposes an authentic, self-reflexive Indic approach to cultivating coherence in society.

Know your Instructor

Dr. Kausik Gangopadhyay

Dr. Kausik Gangopadhyay

Dr. Kausik Gangopadhyay is an economist, currently employed as Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode. He has earned his PhD from the University of Rochester (2007). He was the chair for the doctoral programme as well as the chair of international relations for IIM Kozhikode, among different portfolios.

His research interests are applied economics, and empirical social sciences. He has 20+ articles in reputed refereed international journals— Economics Letters, Economic Modeling, Physica A, Economics Quarterly, Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening—and has a co-edited book published by Springer Verlag. He also enjoys writing popular articles, having published in outlets like DNA, Firstpost, and Swarajya.

He published his book The Majoritarian Myth in 2024. News/ reviews on the book have appeared in The Hindu, Swarajya, The Print, UNI etc. The author has spoken about the book at The Pondy Lit Fest, The Institute of World Culture, Bengaluru, IIM Ahmedabad and Centre for Indic Studies, Indus University among different places.

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