India Out Campaign: Populism, Hegemony, and the Politics of Sovereignty in the Maldives

This study examines how digital platforms shape communicative inequalities in the Maldives’ “India Out” campaign, a populist challenge to Indian influence in a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). Integrating Ostiguy et al'.s (2021) performative populism, Gramsci’s (1971) hegemony, and Mignolo’s (2007) decolonial theory of epistemic delinking, it analyzes how anti-India rhetoric on platforms like X navigates economic constraints amid India-China rivalries. Through directed qualitative content analysis of speeches, #IndiaOut posts, and news reports, the study reveals that digital amplification empowers Maldivian subaltern agency but falters against fiscal pressures, as seen in renewed Indian ties post-2024 following a #BoycottMaldives backlash costing an estimated 1-2% of GDP. The findings highlight how communicative inequalities, digital empowerment versus economic dependence, constrain small-state sovereignty. Proposing a “hegemonic style” framework, the paper advances de-Westernized scholarship on populism and digital communication, illuminating structural inequalities and transnational elite dynamics in SIDS. It offers insights into how marginalized voices navigate great-power rivalries in postcolonial contexts.