Abstract
Current Dalit concerns revolve around multiple dimensions of systemic exclusion. These include institutional discrimination in higher education, land and displacement issues generated by rapid corporate growth, underrepresentation and biases in the organized sector and a widening economic gap that is rooted in the lack of access to capital with all its related implications. As such, it is amply evident that the persistent marginality of Dalits in contemporary India is not merely the result of individual prejudice. The factors sustaining such marginality are complex and profoundly intersectional, linking deep-seated caste prejudices to modern-day issues such as digital displacement, the stagnation of economic mobility and structural exclusion within higher education. Effective implementation of anti-discrimination laws, universal access to quality education and economic inclusion need to be seen as essential correctives and supplemented with social awareness, on the one hand, and stringent measures to counter discrimination and marginalization, on the other.
The articles included in this issue of the journal cover a wide spectrum. Matters of concern for tribes and Dalits across different states in India and Bangladesh are brought into focus. Adivasis’ forest rights issues in the context of the PESA in Jharkhand, Dalit massacres in the Siwalik and the history of ‘Unclean People’ who clean the city of Kashmir, all seek to expose the roots and nature of marginality of both the tribal communities and the oppressed castes in different parts of the country. The Dalits’ cultural struggles are discussed in several of the articles. These deal with Dalit renaissance in Bengal, hunger as a political critique, memories as resistance and the process of childbirth of the Malo women in Bangladesh. Apart from the original articles, there is also a review article and a commentary. The review article examines the major approaches to tribal development in India, while the commentary is on Dalit literary narratives.
As usual, we have included a book review section. In this section, we bring to the readers three interesting book reviews.
Last but not least, we wish to remind our readers that the views expressed in the articles are those of the respective authors, and the Editorial Board is in no way accountable for them.