Rajgopal Saikumar has an MA in Philosophy (interdisciplinary humanities) from the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities (MCPH), following a degree in BA. LLB from Christ College of Law, Bangalore (2006). He also worked briefly at King & Partridge Advocates and Solicitors (2011) in Chennai where he was involved primarily in dispute resolution, corporate litigation, arbitration matters and also in drafting and vetting contracts and legal opinions.
At the MCPH his research was at the intersection of philosophy and social theory. Some of his writings include a study of metaphorical language through an analysis of Davidson and Heidegger. He has authored papers on Hobbes’ Leviathan, the post-Marxist works of Hardt and Negri, the concept of unconscious in psychoanalysis, and Vasubandhu’s Buddhist theory of selfless self. His interest also lies in pre-modern south Asian history, poetry and he is currently taking classes in Yakshagana as well.
During his time in law school, Saikumar interned at several reputed law firms. Besides law, he also studied philosophy and social theory. He did additional courses such as “Psychology After Foucault” at Christ University, “Rethinking Mental Health in India” at CSCS, on Cognitive Science at NIAS, the culture program at NEENASAM, and “Gender and Law” at the School of Law.
His current work brings together political philosophy and legal research in the study of political resistance to unjust authority. More specifically, he is interested in the debate between autonomy and authority embodied in the rupture of “civil disobedience”. His larger ambition is to ground the ethics of such resistance, opening up a space for an infinite resistance against authority and the reiterating of the freedom of Self.
Research :
As a Public Policy Scholar at The Hindu Centre, Saikumar studied the philosophy of civil disobedience in Indian legal jurisprudence.
Read Policy Report No. 2 here:Ethics of Disobedience.
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