The essays in this volume provide an incisive analysis of the identity of the Dalits in history , literature and society. They focus on Dalit assertion and agency in postcolonial India, their quest to break free from poverty and social exclusion after centuries of oppression, and also the dynamics of a pervasive caste system which is inimical to the growth of a collective consciousness among the backward classes.
Preface Introduction
Section A: Dalits and Society 1. Resolving Dalit Identity: Vankars, Chamars, Valmikis Jyotsna Macwan and Suguna Ramanathan 2. At the Intersection of Caste, Class and Patriarchy: Exploring Dalit Women’s Oppression Padma Velaskar 3. Social Democracy in Indian Villages: The Experience of Dalits in Southern Tamil Nadu A. Ramaiah 4. The Category ‘Rural’ Revisited: A Dalit Perspective from a Village in Maharashtra Ritambhara Hebbar 5. The Story of a Dalit Family from a Sleepy North Bihar Village Ashok Singh 6. Caste System in India: Dr Ambedkar’s Perspective P. G. Jogdand 7. Laws and Homestead Land for Rural Landless Labourers and Marginalised Communities in Bihar:A Micro-perspective Sanjay Kumar
Section B: Dalits and Literature 8. Dalit Literature: A Perspective from Below Raj Kumar 9. Transcending Orbits of Dalit Women’s Minor Literature Smita Patil 10. Premchand and Dalit Literature: Representation of Dalits in the Literature of Premchand Shashi Bhushan Upadhyay
Section C: Dalits in History 11. Rajwars in Revolt, 1857–58: Saga of Heroism and Sacrifices of Little-known People A. K. Biswas 12. Caste and the Writing of History Prathama Banerjee
Section D: Castes among Indian Minorities 13. Can there be a Category called Dalit Muslims? Imtiaz Ahmad 14. Islam and Caste Inequalities among Indian Muslims Yoginder Sikand 15. Social Exclusion, Resistance and Deras: Exploring the Myth of Casteless Sikh Society in Punjab Ronki Ram
Glossary Notes on Contributors Index