The Politics of Social Exclusion in India
Democracy at the Crossroads
Edited by Harihar Bhattacharyya, Partha Sarkar, Angshuman Kar
Routledge – 2010 – 194 pages
Social exclusion and inclusion remain issues of fundamental importance to democracy. Both exclusion and inclusion relate to the access to participation in the public realm, public goods and services for certain groups of people who are minorities, marginalized and deprived. Democratization has led to the inclusion of the previously excluded in the political process. While the problems of exclusion remain even in advanced Western countries in respect of the minorities of sorts, and the underprivileged, the problem of deep-rooted social and cultural exclusions is acute in post-colonial countries, including India. This book analyses social exclusions in India, which remain the most solid challenges to Indian democracy and development. Communal clashes, ethnic riots, political secessionist movements and extremist violence take place almost routinely, and are the outward manifestations of the entrenched culture of social exclusion in India. With its interdisciplinary approach, the book looks at the multidimensional problems of social exclusion and inclusion, providing a critical, comprehensive analysis of the problem and of potential solutions. The authors are experts in the fields of historical sociology, anthropology, political theory, social philosophy, economics and indigenous vernacular literature. Overall, the book offers an innovative theoretical perspective of the long-term issues facing contemporary Indian democracy.
Introduction - Harihar Bhattacharyya, Partha Sarkar, and Angshuman Kar 1. Some Theoretical Issues Concerning Social Exclusion and Inclusion in India - Sobhanlal Datta Gupta 2. Social Exclusion and the Strategy of Empowerment - T. K. Oommen 3. Identity Politics and Social Exclusion in India’s North-East: The Case for Redistributive Justice - N. K. Das 4. Inclusion in Nationhood: Bhudev Mukhopadhyay’s Concept of Jatiyabhav - Harihar Bhattacharyya 5. Rabindra Nath Tagore’s Concept of Social Exclusion and Inclusion in India: A Nation without Nationalism - Jyotirmay Bhattacharyya 6. Identity and Social Exclusion-Inclusion: A Muslim Perspective - Asghar Ali Engineer 7. Inclusive and Exclusive Development in India in the Post-Reform Era - Provat Kuri 8. Social Exclusion in India: Evidences from the Wage Labour Market - Rajarshi Majumdar 9. Polavaram Dam Project: A Case Study of Displacement of Marginalized People - Sudipti Banerjea 10. Purity as Exclusion, Caste as Division: The Ongoing Battle for Equality - Jasbir Jain 11. Narrating Gender and Power: Literary and Cultural Texts and Contexts - Sanjukta Das Gupta 12. The Fire and the Rain: A Study in Myths of Power - Anima Biswas 13. Conclusion: Democracy at the Crossroads - Harihar Bhattacharyya, Partha Sarkar, and Angshuman Kar List of Contributors
Harihar Bhattacharyya is Professor of Political Science, University of Burdwan, India. He has been awarded international fellowships and visiting assignments by the universities of Heidelberg, London, Hull and Fribourg. His publications include India as a Multicultural Federation: Asian Values, Democracy and Decentralization.
Partha Sarkar is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Burdwan, India.
Angshuman Kar is Reader and Head of the Department of English, University of Burdwan, India. He edited Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Literatures.