Suchergebnisse

This study describes and analyses the new social movements that have arisen in India over the past two decades, in particular the anti-caste movement (of both the untouchables and the lower-middle castes), the women's liberation movement, the farmers' movement (centred on struggles arising out of their integration into a state-controlled capitalist market), and the environmental movements (opposition to destructive development, including resistance to big dam projects and the search for alternatives). Rooted in participant observation, it focuses on the ideologies and self-understanding of the movements themselves. The central themes of this book are the origin of movements in the socio-economic contradictions of post-independence India; their effect on political developments, in particular the disintegration of Congress hegemony; their relation to "traditional Marxist" theory and Communist practice; and their groping toward a synthesis of theory and practice that constitutes a new social vision distinct from traditional Marxism.

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Poem: "Comrade -- Introduction -- Part I: Historical Background -- 1. The National Movement and the Roots of Socialism -- 2. From Independence to the Naxalite Revolt -- Part II: Emergence of the New Movements, 1972-1985 -- 3. The Anticaste Movement -- 4. The Women's Movement -- 5. The Farmers' Movement -- 6. The Environmental Movement -- Part III: Responses, System and Antisystem, 1975-1985 -- 7. The Marxist Vision and the Working Class -- 8. The Crisis of Traditional Politics -- Part IV: Toward a New Vision, 1985-1991 -- 9. Women, Peasants, Tribals, Environment -- 10. The Search for Alternatives -- 11. The Rise of Alternative Politics -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index.

Because the census originally took up caste questions during the colonial period, the idea that such classifying and categorising was used for the purpose of domination took hold. In independent India there was a refusal to use caste in the census. This did not in any case lead to any lessening of caste divisions and conflicts; atrocities on dalits have continued; new life seems to be coming in the brutal traditionalism of many khap panchayats. The caste structure is being transformed in an era of globalisation, but survives in changing form. However, for purposes of understanding a complex social structure of inequality in order to transform it and formulate policies that will eventually annihilate caste, it is necessary to gather information, and the census is the best means for that. The method should be self-identification: there can be a simple question and people can respond (if they don't admit to caste they can say 'none' or 'Indian' or 'mixed'). The record of mixed (from mixed marriages) will also be useful in monitoring the decline of casteism.

The focus of this chapter is the rise of Indian, rural-based farmer led social movements, & their relationship to poverty & economic reform. These movements, among others, were labeled "new social movements" because they organized sections of the population that had never been organized, & because they developed new concepts & strategies to push their agenda. The political & economic conditions in post-independence India & the government's neglect of the nation's poor are considered the movements' spark. In addition, the author reviews the evolution of the movements' positions on rural poverty, exploitation, & economic liberalization. Finally, the author reviews the progress of poverty reduction in India. K. Hyatt Stewart