CACIM believes that social and political movements are instrumental in initiating positive changes in societies, inventing new ways of living with each other and with our environment, combatting reactionary policies, authoritarian tendencies or destruction of nature, etc.
Our mission is to support these movements to achieve their goals and amplify their impacts, by opening stimulating spaces of dialogues and critical debates, by producing grounded research to fuel their struggles with strong arguments and facts, and by enabling them to function in a more and more repressive political context.
Core Values
Criticality – CACIM has been built with this notion at heart and by applying it through our “critical thought and reflection”, “critical engagement” and “critical action”. We understand critical thought and/or reflection as the process of analysing, reconsidering, and questioning experiences within a broad context of issues (related to politics, culture, social justice, etc.). The aim of critical reflection is to draw out and articulate deeper patterns of understandings so that one can act in a constantly more informed and sensitive manner. Critical engagement and critical action is thus to engage and act in a conscious, informed, thoughtful, sensitive and sustained manner. Iterative processes are essential in this approach with an objective to add value to the work.
Horizontality – CACIM doesn’t establish hierarchies between actors of change and believe that each individual or groups contributions are valuable and participate both to the groundswell of progress and to sparks that trigger immediate swings in public opinion, for instance. This vision is reflected in our way of working with allies and within the Centre: our governing structure is rather flat and each staff or associate of CACIM are encouraged to participate in brainstorming, decision-making, experiencing, etc. We believe hierarchies are given and it is an ongoing struggle to break it and practice horizontality.
Inclusivity – CACIM has adopted a resolute stance to contribute to the edification of a more inclusive society, an important challenge in India, where peoples and communities are divided along many lines – caste, class, ideology, gender, religion, geographical origin… to name a few. CACIM adopts an intersectional approach in its work, questions the different forms of dominations that individuals may face and fight them concomitantly. All spaces and forums created by CACIM aim to be open, plural, diverse and trigger cross sectoral alliances between different social groups, and with researchers, academics, cultural actors and journalists, in a way to develop shared and systemic analyses for instance.
Internationalism / Globalism : We live in a hyper-connected and networked world today. CACIM’s work has been rooted since its inception in the global processes and contributing towards building cross linkages and solidarities. The world is connected, socially, politically, economically and culturally and it has implications for the country too.