Vulli Dhanaraju

Caste, Tribe and Gender Vulli Dhanaraju

Of late, politics of the 'self' and the 'other' has been the subject of much academic debate in the study of subaltern identities. This debate addresses several questions: What is an identity? How are subaltern identities different from others? How is the 'self' contested with the 'other'? Keeping these questions in mind, caste, tribe, and gender have all arisen from a redrawing of 'otherness' and everyday experiences in society. In this context, this book explores the nature of social subordination and its diverse forms of subordinations in the study of structural hegemony, which exists in different forms in Indian society. The interface between contemporary state and social identities on the one hand, and relationships among the self identities on the other, provide the context within which social hegemony is practiced. Social marginalization, contestation, and discrimination has existed in Indian society since time immemorial, but the rise of self-respect movements and the social network revolution after the 1980s heralded major changes in social identity movements. Questions around gender have also attracted a lot of attention, particularly because of the rise of the feminist movement in the post-independence period. Women have also been involved in collective actions with their own agenda, leadership, ideologies, and organizations. This book is divided into four thematic sections: Politics of Self and Other; Caste and Tribe; Gender; and Other Marginal Identities and Politics. [Subject: Sociology, Politics, South Asian Studies, Gender Studies]