2024 Lecture: Technopopulism and the Assault on Indian Democracy

The first annual Moti Lal and Kamla Rustgi Lecture on India was given by Joyojeet Pal of the University of Michigan on October 17, 2024, at 4:00pm in the Screening Room, 112 Center for the Arts, UB North Campus. Professor Pal spoke on “Technopopulism and the Assault on Indian Democracy.” The event was free and open to the public.

Joyojeet Pal is associate professor of information in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the role of technology in democracy and labor, with an emphasis on social media in mainstream politics, particularly in India, and on misinformation networks online. He earned his PhD in City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and Masters degrees in Asian Studies and Information Management and Systems from the University of California, Berkeley. 

In his lecture, Professor Pal discussed the concept of technocracy, which emphasized using rational, efficient approaches to policymaking and administration as a basis for political legitimacy. His research findings showed how technology—especially digital technology and its modern language—has been portrayed as a means to enhance and deliver governance and has been integrated into the appeal of charismatic leaders in India over the past 30 years. 

Sponsored by the Moti Lal and Kamla Rustgi Lecture on India Fund