Re-envisioning the ‘knowledge society’ in India: Resisting neoliberalism and the case for the ‘public’

The ‘knowledge society’ is a concept of importance in India’s current neoliberal path of development. This article argues for a critical conception of the ‘public’ as a means to combat the neoliberal excesses of the Indian knowledge society. A dialectic of the Indian knowledge society is proposed, which exposes the contradictions of India’s current development discourse, in order to give insights into more progressive and public-oriented alternatives. Examples of revitalized public information infrastructure and from India’s informal grassroots sector are explored as ways to enhance the public good in the knowledge society. This exploration highlights some of the challenges, contradictions, and areas of resistance in the ongoing struggle against neoliberal hegemony.