Preamble / Objectives (Optional): Population has been one of the most contentious issues in India’s development. This course aims to introduce students to the question of population and its inter-linkages with processes of socio-economic development in India. It will explore how the discourse of over-population evolved historically, discussing the various approaches of studying population. The objective is to critically engage with different perspectives and provide a comprehensive understanding of population and development.
Course Content/ Syllabus Population in a historical context: approaches to population question; Evolution of demography as a discipline: demographic transition theory, fertility transition in India; Indian census: discourse of over-population, interlinkages with poverty; International foundations and population growth: role of foundations, priorities and consequences; Family planning programme in India: history, politics and current strategies; Population policy in India: evolution and implications, Gender and population: issues and debates, politics of reproduction; Population, hunger and food security: population and human development.
Text and References
1. F. Furedi, Population and Development: A Critical Introduction. Polity Press, 1997.
2. M. Connelly, Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control Population. Harvard University Press, 2008.
3. M. Krishnaraj, R. Sudarshan and A. Sharif, Gender, Population and Development. Oxford University Press, 1998.
4. M. Rao, From Population Control to Reproductive Health: Malthusian Arithmetic. Sage Publications, 2004.
5. S. Kumar, P. Panda and R. Ved, Handbook of Population and Development in India, Oxford University Press, 2010.
6. T. Dyson, R. Cassen, L. Visaria, Twenty First Century India: Population, Economy, Human Development and the Environment. Oxford University Press, 2004.
