Backward Classes And Social Justice

Indian society is characterized by a high degree of stratification, based on caste, creed, color, region, and social origin. Caste is a unique system of stratification found in India, intimately related to social, economic, and religious systems, and in recent times, to the political system as well. It is due to the prevalence of the caste system that social justice was denied to a substantial number of its population, including backward classes. The term 'backward classes' has not been defined in the Constitution of India, and, as a result, it has become increasingly difficult to work out a uniform criteria to measure their backwardness. However, an attempt on the part of Indian government to bring about social justice to the backward classes has resulted in the reservation policy. It is against this backdrop that this book examines backward classes and social justice. Divided into four sections, the first part of the book includes the editors' introduction, along with a profile of Prof. C. Paravathamma. The second part deals with the theme 'Backward Classes and Social Justice, ' which is then followed by a section of papers on 'Dalits and Development.' The final section examines the problems of Dalits in various parts of the country

This book analyzes the process through which power politics has undermined the egalitarian goal of the policy of reservation for economically and socially disadvantaged groups, highlighting the distortions which have emerged in the process of formulation, as well as implementation, of the reservation policy.

Deals with the problems of the Backward Classes in the vast subcontinent of India. Specific discussions concentrate on social-reform particulars such as housing, social services, industrial and agricultural participation, and especially, educational opportunities.

This Is A Somewhat Expanded Version Of The Paper Presented At The Ambedkar Memorial Lectures In The Univversity Of Bombay In 1980. It Tries To Explore The Implications Of The Position In Society Visualized For The Backward Classes In Our Constitution. Cover Slightly Shopsoiled, Text Clean, Condition Ok.

1990 was a year of severe turmoil in social history of India. The acceptance of reservations in services for socially and educationally backward classes created protests and a number of young students lost their lives. After a protracted case hearing, in 1992, the Supreme Court severely castigated the Hindu social structure for its lack of egalitarian ethos, four watertight compartments of four Varnas and a fifth of outcastes or Panchama. It blamed it for centuries of discrimination against other backward classes in which the victims were condemned to follow their hereditary occupations. It rejected the notion of equality and said there could be no equality between the unequal. Although much of the literature to contradict the above colonial times versions of Hindu social structure appeared later, there was enough literature to show even in 1992 that Varnas were not four watertight compartments; the theory of caste occupation nexus did not have universal support; and for ages there had been nothing lower than once born Shudra. This book is an effort to answer, what constituted the Hindu social structure; what were its essences and what aberrations and constructs, and how the law got misapplied in post-independence India.

This book draws upon nearly seven decades of first-hand experiences from the ground to understand social exclusion, and movements and efforts for social justice in India. The author, a renowned champion of social justice for deprived social classes, delves into the roots of discrimination in Indian society as well as explains why caste discrimination still persists and how it can be effectively countered. The volume: examines the caste system and its socio-economic ramifications from the perspective of Dalits, and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes; explores the nuances of the Gandhi–Ambedkar debate on the status and liberation of Dalits and synthesis of the approaches of Gandhi, Ambedkar, Narayana Guru and Marx in resolving certain key issues; analyses legal, economic, social and cultural frameworks to understand caste system and related concepts such as ‘untouchability’, atrocities, reservation, etc. in contemporary India; and provides practical insights into the Constitution-based comprehensive measures required to remedy the consequences of caste system and establish social equality in a holistic manner. The book will interest scholars and researchers of social exclusion and social justice, Dalit, Adivasi and Backward Classes studies, sociology and social anthropology, politics, law and human rights, as well as policy-makers, think tanks and NGOs in the field.