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Dalit Movement

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70 views

Dalit Movement

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miriam
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Dalit Movements

Who is a Dalit?
• The literally meaning of Dalit is oppressed.
• Dalit implies people belongs to SCs, Oppressed class or depressed class or
untouchables and categories as Avarna and downtrodden sections.
• They occupying the lowest rank of in the caste system.
• The term Dalit was first used by Jyotirao Phule for the oppressed
classes or untouchable castes of the Hindu, and the term popularized by
Ambedkar.
• The Dalit movement began as a protest movement, to bring socio-political
transformation in the status of Dalits in India.
• The Dalits were isolated, fragmented and oppressed by the hegemony of Upper
Caste culture.
• With Maturity of time, the new polity, the postmodern administrative
framework, the rational judicial system, the current forms of land tenure and
taxation, the new patterns of trade, the liberal education system, and the
network of communications emphasized the spirit of liberty, equality and social
justice for Dalits.
• So, Dalit movement is basically a social revolution aimed for social change,
replacing the age old hierarchical Indian society, and is based on the democratic
ideals of liberty, equality and social justice.
Untouchability Practices

• Dalits were historically excluded from many


aspects of society, including education,
employment, and religious practices.

• They were also subjected to degrading and


inhumane treatment, such as being forced to
perform tasks considered too dirty or menial
for other castes.
Dalit Movement and Typologies

• Dalit movement is a struggle that tries to counter attack the socio


cultural hierarchy and hegemony of the upper castes.

• It is the movement of masses that craves for justice through speeches,


literary works, drams, songs, cultural organisations and other possible
measures.

• Ghanshyam Shah (1980) however, classifies the dalit movement into


two types.
– Reformative
– Alternative

• Patankar and Omvedt classifications:


– Caste based
– Class based
DALIT MOBILISATION/DALIT
CONSCIOUSNESS
• Mobilization’ means the process of preparing the actors
for collective action.
• Collective action can simply be defined as people acting
together in pursuit of interests they share, for example,
gathering to demonstrate in support of their cause.
• Neil Smelser (1962) in his Theory of Collective Behaviour
and Charles Tilly in his book From Mobilization to
Revolution (1978) included mobilization as one
important component of collective action
• Ghurye in ‘Caste and Race in India’ (1969) has
explained the type of discriminations
associated with untouchables in traditional
Indian society which includes banning of
women of untouchable caste from covering the
upper part of their body, wearing gold
ornaments having sexual proximity beyond the
caste and the men from wearing dhoti below
their knees, using public facilities and going for
occupations beyond their caste, prescription
• S.C Dube (1958) advocates that for the emergence of class
consciousness, ideology of dalit becomes essential.
• He advocates that Dalit consciousness in contemporary
India is the manifestation of Dalit’s search for
modernization whereas Dalit consciousness in traditional
India was a challenge to orthodox Brahmanism and Hindu
values.
• Dalit mobilization was greatly concerned about forcible
entry into Hindu temples, burning copies of the
Manusmriti, abandoning the services of indigenous priests
governed by brahmanic values, production and the
circulation of caste literatures etc, but in contemporary
India, Dalit identity is more a matter of search for rights,
justice and equality rather than just being concerned with
rebellion against Hinduism.
• Gail Omvedt (1999) emphasised that Dalit mobilization in
India should be studied from a multidimensional
perspective.

• She advocates that every movement is having initiation


stage, consolidation stage; crystallization stage;-maturity
stage and disintegration stage.

• Multiple factors like economic discrimination, lack of social


dignity, cultural isolation and alienation from decision-
making process were responsible for initiation of Dalit
mobilization prior to India’s Independence.

• She narrates that the emergence of Republican Justice


Party and emergence of Dr B R Ambedkar
• M. S. A. Rao in ‘Social Movements in India’
(1979) equates Dalit movement with the
movements of Blacks in America.
• He concludes by saying that ideology for Dalit
movement was imported from the west that
bore fruit in Indian social soil.
• Yogendra Singh advocates that Dalit
mobilization in India sufficiently exemplifies
how modernization has broken the backbone
of caste and he equates Dalit consciousness
with class consciousness to bring forward the
view that Dalit mobilization in India is driving
Indian society in the direction of
modernization giving importance to the
principles of equality against the principle of
hierarchy
• The main thrust of the Dalit movements has
been centered in the Pre-Independent and
Post Independent periods on the problem of
untouchability.

• Dalits supported the movements for


maintaining or increasing reservations in
political offices, government jobs and welfare
programmes.
Historical Background

• The Dalit Movement in India has its roots in the caste system, a social
hierarchy that has been in place for centuries.
• Dalits, were considered to be at the bottom of this system and faced
severe discrimination and oppression
• The caste system was officially abolished in India in 1950, but
discrimination against Dalits continued.
• The Dalit Movement began to gain momentum in the 1960s and 1970s,
as Dalits began to organize and demand their rights.
• The Dalit Panther Movement, which was founded in Maharashtra in
1972, was one of the most prominent organizations of this time.
• The movement was also influenced by the teachings of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar, a Dalit leader who played a key role in the drafting of India's
constitution.
• Ambedkar argued that the caste system was a form of social slavery and
called for the annihilation of caste. He also advocated for the rights of
Dalits to education, land, and political representation.
Problems/Issues of Dalit

• Social Restrictions
• Religious Disabilities
• Economic Disabilities
• Political Disabilities
Achievements and Progress

• Reservation System
The Indian government has implemented a reservation
system for Dalits in education and employment to provide
them with equal opportunities.
• Political Representation
Dalits have gained significant political representation in
India, with many Dalit leaders holding important positions
in government and parliament.
• Social Reforms
The Dalit movement has brought about significant social
reforms, including the abolition of untouchability and the
promotion of inter-caste marriages.
-
Gandhi’s Contribution to Dalit Movement

• When Mahatma Gandhi was in South Africa, he realized the problem of


social discrimination.
• Gandhiji advocated that the construction of the life of the Nation was of
utmost importance.
• This could be achieved by alleviating the social status of the
untouchables.
• He always thought of untouchability as a cruel and inhuman institution.
• During his course of interaction with Harijan’s at Ahmedabad, he
examined, “this is a movement for the purification of Hinduism".
• According to Gandhiji, “If we are the children of the same God how can
there be any rank among us"?
• He stressed the problem of untouchability and its removal from its roots.
• To boost up the work for the upliftment of Harijans, Gandhiji laid the
foundation of the Harijan Sevak Sang in 1932 when he was in jail.
Ambedkar’s Contribution to Dalit Movement

• Ambedkar started a Marathi fortnightly, the "Bahiskrit Bharat",


in April 1927 and a weekly, the “Janta” in November 1930.
• In September 1927 he started the "Samaj Samta Sang" for
advocating social equality among the untouchables and the
caste Hindus.
• He supported inter-caste dinner and inter-caste marriage.
• Ambedkar was a prominent leader of the Dalit movement in
India. He was born into a Dalit family and faced discrimination
and social exclusion throughout his life. Despite these
challenges, he pursued education and became a prominent
lawyer, scholar, and politician.
• He founded the political party, the Republican Party of India to
advocate for the rights of Dalits and other marginalized
communities.
• He formed the Schedule Caste Federation in 1954 to fight elections
and look after the interests of the SCs.
• He advocated for the abolition of the caste system and worked to
secure legal protections for Dalits.
• He also founded the All India Scheduled Castes Federation to
provide a political platform for Dalits and other marginalized
communities.
• His emphasis on education, political representation, and social
reform remain central to the Dalit movement's goals and strategies.

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