ABSTRACT
Critical thinking and the notion of a public sphere are steeped in the Eurocentric legacy of rational argument and citizenship. The decolonization of citizenship requires moving beyond a focus on rational thought and dialogue to empathy and care. As an alternative to indifference and disgust towards difference, care can evolve through literature, arts and the like. However, in the Indian context care opens up another dimension of governmentality grounded on charity. Hence, in this context, a critical pedagogy aiming at an inclusive public sphere would have to reimagine care as the basis of difference and dissent.
