Speaker: Mr. Purbash Nayak

Title: “Missing Females and the Discourse of Violence – Evidence from Indian Subcontinent”

Chair: Prof. Sangeeta Shroff

Abstract/Synopsis: Missing females have a potent relationship with violence and is cogently associated with the rise in aggressive social behaviour among societies of the Indian subcontinent. The relationship is systematic as well as systemic and these effects are both structural and contextual. This paper develops a theoretical framework to study micro aggression – individuals’ social behaviour and demand for group dominance in modern and post-modern societies by incorporating entropy based behavioural models along with evolutionary biological treatments with psychological and cultural flavours. We find that aggressive social behaviour is determined by the interaction of state effect, control effect and system effect. Also, there are three state factors – status from being aggressor, the negotiating power of the group and the space itself characterised by level of cooperation. However, individual’s demand for group domination depends on his trust on the negotiability of his group and his perception about his state of existence. Empirical analysis using event database illustrates three routes through which aggressive social behaviour is engulfing the physical health of Indian societies (both globally and locally) – Missing Females, Lack of Cooperation and Lack of Effective Negotiations.