ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Harish S WankhedeSubscribe to Harish S Wankhede

Does EWS Reservation Redraft the Principles of Social Justice?

The reservation for the economically weaker section has received wider political support, and now with the Supreme Court’s pronouncement in its favour has made it infallible. However, the judiciary is under scrutiny for ignoring the historical context and constitutional principles under which the prospect of social justice policy is constituted. Interestingly in the Court’s 3:2 bench decision, the two judges in opposition have raised pertinent questions on the ethical aspect of the reservation policy. It appears that the sole criterion of economic backwardness would not supplement the constitutional principles and will defeat the basic purpose of the reservation policy.

OTT Platforms and the New Dalit Characters in Indian Cinema

The recent Dalit representation in Indian cinema has arrived with nuanced attributes, distinct from the earlier cinematic portrayal that mostly depicted them as victims of caste atrocities and violence. The new representation in the recent Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi films and on various over-the-top platforms has progressively identified Dalits as the part of a greater middle-class culture or as urban aspirants who wish to live a normal, dignified life in the metros. On the flip side, the new Dalit characters are presented as the people who are indifferent to the ideals of social justice and survive in the cities mostly as vagabond individuals.

Hindutva Hegemony and Future of Democratic Struggles

In the absence of a strong socialist or leftist ideological alternative, various social fragments have organised independent protests and political strategies to defend their rights. However, in the absence of any sustainable social solidarity between the struggling groups, it becomes easy for the right wing to retain its domination over electoral politics. The varied democratic protests would be relevant if they also build a sustainable political alliance against the Hindutva forces.

 

Aashram

Web series like Aashram offer more honest and rooted representations of Dalit communities, but not entirely without a Savarna gaze.

The Post-political Dalit Movement in Maharashtra

The contemporary Dalit movement in Maharashtra is marked by five distinct trends, that is, increased militancy, sub-caste assertion, middle-class activism, public symbolism, and a rightward shift. These are not manifested through political mobilisation but predominantly in sociocultural spheres. The congruence and divergence of these from B R Ambedkar’s normative political project need to be explored.

Class-Caste Debate Revisited

The recent critique of the Ambedkarite Dalit movement by Marxist critics has led to a hostile reaction from the former as it was seen as part of a long history of acrimonious relations between these two forces fi ghting similar battles for the deprived and oppressed. Can these two radical streams overcome this history of bad relations and misunderstandings to synthesise a new unifi ed politics of protest?

Ambedkar, NCERT Textbooks and the Protests

The cartoon controversy provides the possibility of interrogating the functioning of the academic system to understand its relationship with the downtrodden masses. A new deliberation is needed in order to make the academic world more sensitive and responsive towards the issues and concerns of the subaltern-oppressed communities. This will be an ethical incentive for the present-day dalit movement in India and can bring greater democratisation to the education system.

Dalit Politics in Maharashtra

In their bid to maintain political visibility, various factions of the Republican Party of India have struck up alliances with "secular" and "non-secular" parties. They have not adequately utilised the progressive undercurrents of the dalit consciousness to connect with other deprived communities to form a dynamic coalition.

The Political Context of Religious Conversion in Orissa

The apathy of dalit intellectuals and politicians over the communal incidents in Orissa reflects their prejudice and lack of confidence as regards the issue of conversion. The absence of a social movement in Orissa based on the praxis worked upon by B R Ambedkar has allowed fundamentalist and right-wing forces to take advantage of the deprived and the marginalised.

The Political and the Social in the Dalit Movement Today

Post-Ambedkarite movements for dalit emancipation in India have had different currents. In Uttar Pradesh, the assertion of the Bahujan Samaj Party has initiated a new era of democratisation, while the upsurge of dalit castes through Buddhist conversion has brought about social change in Maharashtra. Yet, both these separate phenomena suffer from the disadvantages of not addressing vital issues raised by Ambedkar. This paper tries to synthesise a model out of the dialectics of the socio-political movements in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh from the vantage point of Ambedkarite philosophy.

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