Dalits in the New Millennium

The essays in this volume draw on multi-faceted aspects of Dalit experiences over the last few decades.

Sudha Pai (Edited by), D. Shyam Babu (Edited by), Rahul Verma (Edited by)

9781009231206, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 November 2023

500 pages
23.7 x 16.2 x 3.2 cm, 0.79 kg

Dalits in the New Millennium interrogates the major aspects of Dalit experience in multiple spheres and traces how Dalit politics is no longer merely content with desire for social justice but has become more assertive and aspirational in its demands. The volume represents the individual voices of the editors and contributors, who are eminent academics and activists, and situates Dalit life amidst all the major changes that have occurred over the last three decades. It aims to provide a more holistic approach to studying the community's socio-economic and political life in the new millennium and adds to the existing literature on Dalit politics, focusing especially on the changes that are taking place in the realm of electoral politics, popular culture, political economy, ideological worldview, and representation, among others.

1. Introduction: Dalit Discourse in the New Millennium Sudha Pai, Shyam Babu and Rahul Verma
Part I. Shifting Patterns of Electoral Politics: 2. Electoral Politics: Voting Patterns among Dalits Rahul Verma and Pranav Gupta
3. On the peculiar absence of Dalit politics: Punjab and West Bengal Dwaipayan Sen
4. Decline of the BSP: Dalit Politics under Right-Wing Hegemony Sudha Pai
5. A Democratic Dilemma: Dalit parties, election finance, and coalition politics Michael A. Collins
6. Why Dalits voted for the BJP in recent elections? Abhinav Prakash
Part II. Popular Culture, Discourse andd Protest: 7. Role of songs in the emergence of Bahujan identity Kalyani and Satnam Singh
8. Anti-caste Music and Cinema Prashant Ingole
9. Portrayal of Dalits in the Media: A Study of Select Newspapers from Uttar Pradesh Swadesh Singh
10. Dalit Protest Politics Amit Aahuja and Rajkamal Singh
Part III. Transformations in Ideology and Identity: 11. Annihilation, Identity, Representation: Kanshi Ram and the Conundrums of Dalit Political Agency Surinder S. Jodhka
12. Reading Caste and Class together: A Dalit-Bahujan-Left Alliance? Dwaipayan Bhattacharya
13. Towards Radical Democracy: the Dalit-Bahujan Claim for Political Power Harish Wankhede
14. Liberation Panthers and the Dalit Challenge to Hindutva in Tamil Nadu Meena Kandasamy and Hugo Gorringe
15. Dalit-Bahujan Politics: Crisis and Future Badri Narayan
Part IV. Aspirations and Anxieties: 16. Role of Technology in Social and Political Life of Young Dalits Snigdha Poonam and Samarth Bansal
17. Dalit Middle Class: Aspirations, Networks and Social Capital Gurram Srinivas
18. Persisting Gap: A Case for Restitution and Reparations Amit Thorat
19. Dalit Capitalism: Adversity, Opportunity and Agency? D. Shyam Babu
Part V. Discrimination and Representation: 20. The Effect of Dalit Representatives on the Community Francesca Jensenius and Simon Chauchard
21. Dalit Legislators as Policy Makers Kaushiki Sanyal
22. Why some MBCs want SC status? Arvind Kumar
23. Measuring caste-based Discrimination Victoire Girard, Cléo Chassonnery-Zaïgouche and Peter Mayer
24. Suicide rates among Dalits Vikas Arya, Andrew Page, Gregory Armstrong and Peter Mayer
25. Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Sociology [JHB]