Vivek Kumar (Ph.D.) Associate Professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi he’s engaged in the study of the social movements of one of the most excluded sections in South-Asia (Dalits).

He has analyzed the process and mechanism involved in strengthening the democracy by the ‘Independent Dalits Movement’ in the largest populated State of India i.e. Uttar Pradesh. Kumar has also examined how Dalit movement has diversified its demands for inclusion in the modern institutions of governance and other spheres of day-to-day life after India became a democracy.

Now Kumar is studying internal differences within the Indian Diaspora and its relationship with Indian democracy. Author of three books he has contributed few dozens of academic articles in journals and books. He also writes in newspapers and participates in debates on television channels regularly.

When asked why he joined the Building Global Democracy Programme, Vivek replied:

"...it is a unique or perhaps only attempt which promises a new world order. Secondly, he believes that only a democratic order is open to dissent and undertakes piecemeal social-engineering rather holistic reforms. Last but not least experiences of the world prove that ‘marginalized’ and ‘excluded’ have hope only in a democratic world order."

Respondent Margarita Salinas CEDLA, Bolivia

Margarita Salinas was born in La Paz, Bolivia. Her background includes professional certificates as Linguist and Foreign Language teacher (Edinburgh University, Scotland). She also has to separate postgraduate diplomas in Gender and Development (Centre of Postgraduate Studies – CESU, San Simon University, Cochabamba), and in Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights and Development (Andean University, La Paz).
During the past 9 years Margarita has been working as a Policy and Program Regional Coordinator (Americas) in Ayuda en Accion (based in Mexico) and in ActionAid (based in Brazil). In both cases, she had the opportunity to work with different Latin American organizations and social movements from civil society - women, peasants, ndigenous, educators etc- that were dealing with political projects and proposals to monitor and influence national and regional policies through advocacy processes, campaigns and mobilizations. Margarita is now based in Bolivia. She is the proud mother of two young professionals Enrique and Amancaya.

Full program
buildingglobaldemocracy.org/content/rio-workshop-programme