Caste Discrimination And Exclusion In Indian Universities

"This book studies the exclusion and discrimination that is meted out to Scheduled Caste (SC) students in the Indian Higher Education system, and the psycho-social consequences of such practices. It foregrounds the conceptual debates around caste, exclusion, and reservations in Indian academia, discussing the social dominance and the roots of prejudices in the university spaces. The volume reflects upon the fragile social world in which students from the margins struggle for survival in the academic space. It reveals that these students navigate the various facets of academia like classrooms, pedagogy, scholarships, hostels, peer groups, and teachers, only to find the academic space a dystopian universe. The book also sheds light on suicide cases committed by the marginalized groups as a testimony of protest. Based on in-depth ethnographic research, this book will be of interest to teachers, students, and researchers of education, sociology, political science, psychology, and exclusion studies. It will also be useful for policymakers, social activists, NGOs, research centers, and those working in higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, and exclusion studies"--

"This book studies the exclusion and discrimination that is meted out to Scheduled Caste (SC) students in the Indian Higher Education system, and the psycho-social consequences of such practices. It foregrounds the conceptual debates around caste, exclusion, and reservations in Indian academia, discussing the social dominance and the roots of prejudices in the university spaces. The volume reflects upon the fragile social world in which students from the margins struggle for survival in the academic space. It reveals that these students navigate the various facets of academia like classrooms, pedagogy, scholarships, hostels, peer groups, and teachers, only to find the academic space a dystopian universe. The book also sheds light on suicide cases committed by the marginalized groups as a testimony of protest. Based on in-depth ethnographic research, this book will be of interest to teachers, students, and researchers of education, sociology, political science, psychology, and exclusion studies. It will also be useful for policymakers, social activists, NGOs, research centers, and those working in higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, and exclusion studies"--

This book studies the exclusion and discrimination that is meted out to Scheduled Caste (SC) students in the Indian Higher Education system, and the psychosocial consequences of such practices. It foregrounds the conceptual debates around caste, exclusion, and reservations in Indian academia, discussing the social dominance and the roots of prejudices in the university spaces. The volume reflects upon the fragile social world in which students from the margins struggle for survival in the academic space. It reveals that these students navigate the various facets of academia – like classrooms, pedagogy, scholarships, hostels, peer groups, and teachers – only to find the academic space a dystopian universe. The book also sheds light on suicide cases committed by the marginalized groups as a testimony of protest. Based on in-depth ethnographic research, this book will be of interest to teachers, students and researchers of education, sociology, political science, psychology, and exclusion studies. It will also be useful for policymakers, social activists, NGOs, research centers, and those working in higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, and exclusion studies.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the academic journeys of Dalit students and their lived experiences of systemic exclusion in Indian higher education. It explains their educational journeys beyond caste-based discrimination, specifically analyzing the power dynamics, resilience, and resistance in their institutional life. The volume — Describes institutional culture, practices and contexts that contribute to a negative environment for Dalit students, and what changes would be required to create a positive campus climate for them; — Provides a comparative analysis with the U.S. higher education contexts while drawing theoretical frameworks from critical race theory in educational settings, social reproduction theory, and diversity research; — Discusses the significance of developing anti-casteist, democratic, and inclusive university spaces in India, with an emphasis on how Indian university campuses can be transformed through diversity, equity, inclusion initiatives, and indispensable support programs to assist Dalit and other vulnerable students Nuanced and accessible, this book will be of interest to students, teachers, and researchers of education, higher education, sociology, exclusion studies, and Dalit studies. It will also be useful for policymakers; social activists; NGOs; research centres; and those working in the areas of higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, anti-caste, and exclusion studies.

A comprehensive assessment of the broad issues that underpin social exclusion in India This book posits the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) vis-à-vis their upper-caste Hindu peers and establishes how caste is a lived reality in everyday life in modern India. It explores areas where caste and religious exclusion are most visible, such as human development, inequality, poverty, educational attainments, child malnutrition, health, employment, wages, gender, and access to public goods. With an in-depth theoretical foundation and empirical analysis, it establishes that in each of these sectors, the performance of upper-caste Hindu households is far better compared to that from the SC, ST, and Muslim households.

This edited volume brings together a range of scholars to reflect on the varied ways in which caste is manifested and experienced in social life. Each chapter draws on different methods and approaches but all consider lived experiences and experiential narrations. Considering Guru and Sarukkai’s path-breaking work on ‘Experience, Caste and the Everyday Social’ (2019), this volume applies the insights of the theories to multiple settings, issues and communities. Unique to this volume, Brahmin and other dominant castes' experiences are considered, rather than simply focusing on the lives of oppressed castes (Dalits). Analysis of cross-caste friendships or romances and marriages, furthermore, brings out the intimate and ingrained aspects of caste. Taken together, therefore, the contributions in this volume offer rich insights into caste and its consciousness within the framework of everyday experiences.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of caste in contemporary India. With contributions from scholars like Valerian Rodrigues, B.B. Mohanty, Surinder Jodhka, and Anand Teltumbde, it discusses wide-ranging themes like the trajectory of caste in post-independence India; Dalits and cultural identity; the paradox of being a Dalit woman; caste violence and social mobility; Ambedkar’s quest for the right of social equality; social security for the inclusive development of Dalits; discrimination and exclusion of Dalits in education; and Dalit merit and institutional injustice, and presents an overview of the struggles for distributive justice in India. This volume will be of importance to scholars and researchers of Dalit studies, social justice, exclusion studies, caste studies, affirmative action, political studies, sociology, social anthropology, and South Asian politics.

This book illuminates the experiences of a set of students and faculty who are members of the Dalit caste – commonly known as the ‘untouchables’ – and are relatively ‘successful’ in that they attend or are academics at a prestigious university. The book provides a background to the study, exploring the role of caste and its enduring influence on social relations in all aspects of life. The book also contains a critical account of the current experiences of Dalit students and faculty in one elite university setting – the University of Shah Jahan (pseudonym). Drawing on a set of in-depth semi-structured interviews, the empirical study that is at the centre of this book explores the perceptions of staff and students in relation to the Quota policy and their experiences of living, working and studying in this elite setting. The data chapters are organised in such a way as to first explore the faculty views. The experiences of students are then examined with a focus on the way in which their caste is still an everyday part of how they are sometimes ‘othered’. Also, a focus on female Dalit experiences attempts to capture the interconnecting aspects of abject discrimination in their university life. Faces of Discrimination in Higher Education in India explores: critical exploration of the Quota System policy and related social justice issues; faculty voices: Quota, caste and discrimination; students’ perceptions and experiences of the Quota policy; being a ‘female Dalit’ student; positioning caste relations and the Quota policy: a critical analysis. This study will be of interest to educational sociologists examining policies in education and analysts of multicultural and South Asian studies. It will also steer pertinent discussions on equality and human rights issues.