Overview

This volume seeks to provide a philosophical and theoretical foundation for Dalit studies. It begins by formulating a philosophical and theoretical definition of the term ‘Dalit’, along with its empirical characteristics—structural location; the cumulative and collective nature of exclusion; the temporal history of exclusion; and the evolution and identification of icons and cultural symbols within Dalit society. The volume studies the Dalits through the lens of social mobility; highlights the triple exploitation of Dalit women; presents an epistemic and theoretical framework for evolving a ‘Dalit perspective’ and its functions to understand social reality from the point of view of Dalit experience; as an integral part of Dalit studies it provides a framework to understand Ambedkar’s thought and philosophy; dynamics of his movements; and engages with the different facets of the Dalit movement from local to global. Lucid, accessible, and thought-provoking, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of social exclusion and discrimination studies, sociology, law and human rights, and South Asian studies.

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9781032130941

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Author Information

Vivek Kumar (PhD) is Professor of Sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. His research focuses on the methodology of social sciences, South Asian sociology, and marginalized communities. His publications include Decoding Ambedkar: Ideas of Nation and Nation Building (2024), Caste and Democracy in India: Perspective from Below (2014), Dalit Leadership in India (2002), and the seminal article ‘How Egalitarian is Indian Sociology?’ (2016).

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