CENTRE FOR POLITICAL STUDIES, SSS, JNU
MPHIL OPTIONAL COURSE
DALIT MOVEMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY INDIA (PO637)
Credits 4
Course Teacher: Professor Narender Kumar
Scheme of Evaluation: 1 Seminar paper and 1 Term Paper.
Objectives:
This Course underlines the significance of the emergence of dalit consciousness and its implications
for contemporary democratic politics. It seeks to understand the politics of the oppressed sections
of society as expressed through a search for identity and through movements which seek
improvement in their socioeconomic status, a share in political power and ultimately destruction of
the unequal caste order.
The nature of these movements, their objectives and construction of dalit identity is sought to be
understood through existing frameworks in the first part. Part two analyses the debates on reform
and representation of the dalits and the factors underlying various anti-caste movements in the
colonial period which have significance for the post-independence period. The final part takes up a
few movements, and examines their emergence, ideology strategies of mobilisation. The
similarities/differences among these movements and their implications for politics in various
regions will be highlighted.
I. Framework for the Study of Dalit Movements
a) Social Movements – Liberal and Marxist frameworks.
b) “New” Social Movements in the West and in India.
c) Approaches to the study of dalit movements, overview of literature.
d) Changing socio-economic-position of dalits, identity and ideology.
II. Depressed Castes and anticaste movements in the colonial period
a) The socioeconomic conditions of the depressed castes.
b) The Depressed classes and the colonial government.
c) Gandhi and Ambedkar on social reform and representation for the depressed castes.
d) Anticaste movements in the colonial period.
III. Dalit Movements in Post Independent India
Emergence, ideology and strategies of mobilization of major dalit movements:
1
a) The Republican party of India – UP and Maharashtra
b) The Dalit Panthers
c) The Bahujan Samaj party
d) The Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu
e) The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti in Karnataka
IV. Issues and Problems Concerning Dalits
a) Reservations
b) Caste-based Atrocities
Selected Readings:
Aruralan “The Relevance of Periyar” Radical Review no 2, May, 1990,
Anupama Rao, The Caste Question: Dalits and the Politics of Modern India, Berkeley, University of California Press,
2009.
Badri Narayan, The Making of Dalit Public in North India, OUP, 2011
B.R. AMBEDKAR COLLECTED WORKS, GOVT OF MAHARASHTRA.
Chinnaiah Jangam, Dalits and Making of the Modern India, OUP, 2017
Eleanor Zelliot From Untouchable to Dalit: Essays on the Ambedkar Movement Manohar, New Delhi, 1992.
Gail Omvedt Dalits and the Democratic Revolution Dr Ambedkar and the Dalit Movement
Ghanshyam Shah Social Movements in India A Review of Literature Sage, New Delhi, 2000.
H.Kotani (ed) Caste System Untouchability and the Depressed Manohar, New Delhi, 1997.(See essays on TN)
J.R. Kamble Rise and Awakening of Depressed Classes in India, National publishers, 1979
Jayashree Gokhale “The Dalit Panthers and the Radicalisation of Untouchables” Journal of Commonwealth and
Comparative Politics 28(1) March 1979.
Journal of Political Economy XII, nos 3&4, special issue on Schedule Castes in India JulyDecember: 405-422.
K.L. Sharma Caste, Class and Social Movement, Rawat publications, Jaipur, 1986.
Kancha Illiah “Productive Labour, Consciousness and History: A DalitBahujan Alternative” Subaltern Studies, Vol IX,
OUP.
Mark Jurgensmeyer Religion as Social Vision: The Movement Against Untouchability in 20 th Century Punjab University
of California, Berkeley, 1978
Michael Mahar (ed) The Untouchables in Contemporary India University of Arizona press, 1972.
N.R. Bhattacharya Caste Reservation and Electoral Politics 1919-37 Progressive Publishers, Calcutta, 1992.
2
Narendra Jadhav, Untouchables: My Family’s Triumphant Escape from India’s Caste System, University of California
Press, 2007
Narender Kumar, Dalit and Shudra Politics and Anti-Brahmin Movement Economic and Political Weekly, November 4-
10, 2000
Owen Lynch The Politics of Untouchability Columbia University, 1969.
P.E. Mohan SCs: History of TN 1900-55 New Era Publications, Madras, 1993
P.Pimpley & Satish Sharma (eds) Struggle for Status B.R. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, 1985.
R.L. Hardgrave The Nadars of Tamilnadu: The Political Culture of a Community in Change Berkeley, 1969.
R.S. Khare The Untouchable as Himself: Ideology Identity and Pragmatism among the Lucknow Chamars CUP, 1984.
Rajni Kothari (ed.) Caste in Indian Politics, Orient Longman, Delhi, 1970.
Robert Deliege The World of the Untouchable Paraiyars of TN OUP, 1997
Robin Jeffrey “The Social Origins of a Caste Association 1874-1905: The Founding of the SNDP Yogam” South Asia 4(1)
1974.
Rosalind O’Hanlon, Caste Conflict and Ideology: Mahatma Phule and Low Caste Protest in the 19 th Century CUP, 1985.
S.K. Gupta The SCs in Modern Indian Politics: Their Emergence as a Political Power Manoharlal, New Delhi, 1985.
Satish K. Sharma Social Movements and Social Change: A Study of the Arya Samaj and Untouchables in the
PunjabB.R.Publishing Company, Delhi, 1985.
Sharmila Rege,Writing Caste/Writing Gender: Narrating Dalit Women’s Testimonies, Zuban, Delhi, 2007
Seminar 1998 (special issue on Dalit) no 471, November.
Sudha Pai & Jagpal Singh, 1997 "Politicisation of Dalits and Most Backward Castes Study of Social Conflict and Political
Preferences in Four Villages of Meerut District" Economic and Political Weekly XXXII, no 23, June 7: 1358-61.
Sudha Pai, 2000 "New Social and Political Movements of Dalits A Study of Meerut District" Contributions to Indian
Sociology June, no 2, 34: 189-220.
Sudha Pai 2002 Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution: the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, Sage, New Delhi
T.K. Oommen protest and change studies in social movements sage, new delhi, 1990.
Uma Ramaswamy “SelfIdentity Among SCs: A Study of AP” EPW 23 November 1974.
Upendra Bakshi & Oliver Mendelsohn Rights of the Subordinated Peoples OUP, New Delhi,1994.
V.Geeta & S.V.Rajdurai Towards a NonBrahmin Millenium Samya Publications, 1999.
V.T.Rajshekhar Shetty Dalit Movements in Karnataka Christian Literature Society, Madras. 1988.
