ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the recent rise in concern for minority rights. While the concern reflects a certain subordination of minorities and their rights to the imperatives of governance — thanks to the initiatives of such multilateral agencies as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, etc. It makes a preliminary attempt at remapping the political space in which minority rights may become relevant. The enabling mechanism, most importantly, will be subjected to further monitoring as the National Human Development Report (India), 2001 puts it, by ‘empowered, autonomous and credible structures’ and civil society groups. Civil society vigilantism has become the new lingo of minority rights. The liberal uneasiness points to the subservience of minority rights to basic human rights. The neo-liberal dependence on the state insofar as minority rights are concerned is evident in course of both the giving and taking away of these rights.
