Panopticon citizenship: an insider ethnography of surveillance and exclusion among Tamil returnees in India
Speaker : Dr. Chandraprakash Y
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science, St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru
@ : chandraprakash.y@sju.edu.in
Chairperson : Dr. Ashish Mathew George
BhuSampada Center, NIAS
@ :ashish.george@nias.res.in
Date : 8th July 2026
Time : 9.30 AM
Venue : Lecture Hall
Abstract: This article conceptualizes panopticon citizenship to describe the lived conditions of Tamil stateless returnees in India – marked by surveillance, and exclusion from citizenship rights. Stateless repatriation Tamil returnees are those stripped of Indian citizenship (under the British Raj) without acquiring Sri Lankan citizenship, rendering them stateless until partial reintegration through bilateral agreements (1964 and 1974). Drawing on insider ethnographic research and 40 in-depth interviews across plantations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this article argues that citizenship must be understood as a lived, situated experience shaped by the surveillance and discretionary decisions of the national, state and local administration. Panopticon citizenship offers a critical lens to rethink existing citizenship frameworks and to recognize the everyday exclusions faced by marginalised communities in contemporary India.
About the speaker: Dr. Chandraprakash Y is an Assistant Professor at St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, with a specialization in migration studies in South Asia. His academic foundation is interdisciplinary, rooted in demography, geography, and political economy. During his doctoral studies, he was awarded several prestigious fellowships, including the Adam Smith Fellowship in Political Economy from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, USA (2022–2023), and a Ph.D. Visiting Fellowship in Applied Cultural Science at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria (August 2021 – January 2022). He was also a recipient of a two-year Ph.D. Research Fellowship from the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India (2019–2022).
Dr. Chandraprakash has extensive research experience. He served as the Lead Consultant for the Conflict and Need Assessment Study in Sri Lanka conducted by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) South Asia, focusing on peace and conflict studies in India and Sri Lanka. He also worked as a Senior Research Fellow at LISSTAR (Loyola Institute of Social Science Training and Research), Loyola College, Chennai, contributing to multiple research projects. A dedicated scholar and educator, Dr. Chandraprakash combines empirical fieldwork with rigorous theoretical inquiry to address the lived experiences and policy challenges of marginalized communities. His key research interests include mixed migration, political theory, citizenship, and the intersection of climate justice and migration. He is well-versed in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and is deeply committed to teaching and fostering critical thinking among students. His work has been published in reputed journals and contributes to advancing innovative academic and policy debates in the South Asian context.