Panel 4
Association of Academic for Social Justice
Conference on
Intergroup Inequality in Indian Society: Magnitude, Nature, Sources, Policies, and the Movement
Organized by
Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS), Delhi
Association of Academic for Social Justice (AASJ), Delhi
Dates of conference:
August 23-25, 2023Venue:
ISEC, BengaluruPanel 4: Issues related to unequal access to civil rights, citizenship and social status: Caste, untouchability, religious and gender discrimination
Civil rights are a significant set of rights that are designed to protect individuals from unfair treatment; these are rights of individuals to receive equal treatment (and to be free from unfair treatment or discrimination) in a number of settings – public facilities, education, employment, housing, public accommodations, and more. The State enacted the Untouchability Offence Act, 1955 (which was renamed as Protection of Civil rights Act in 1979) and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 as legal safeguards against denial of equal civil Rights to the SC/ST. Similar Act is enacted to ensure equal rights to women.
The papers in this session will focus upon the changes in caste discrimination and untouchability and the progress made in providing equal civil rights access to SCs /STs. The papers will also examine the public spheres wherein positive changes have occurred on this count and where the caste discrimination still persists and the progress against it has been very slow.
Panelists will also look into the issue of residential and social segregation of Dalits in rural areas and possible measures towards their social integration. They will assess the process of ‘sanskritization’ and ‘westernization’ and also other social processes, which are generally neglected, such as conversion to Buddhism and to several other egalitarian ideologies and sects.
The papers will also discuss the nature of discrimination experienced by religious minorities, and Dalits who converted to Christianity, Sikhism and Islam, namely the Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims and Sikhs. The session will also focus upon gender discrimination in relation to its intersectionality with caste, tribe, and religion.