Social Movements I

In the ongoing process of social transformation, new identities are often constructed, while existing identities may mutate or transform, and some might even be rendered obsolete. Social Movements I: Issues of Identity, part of the Oxford in India Readings in Sociology and Social Anthropology (OIRSSA) series, examines the phenomenon of social movements in India with respect to the construction and perception of identity. It brings together a selection of readings on movements related to religion and caste, as well as regionalism, and linguistic and tribal movements in India. It specifically addresses (a) the abbreviation and even abrogation of identities versus elaboration of identities; (b) the tensions between group identity and individual equality believed to be pulling in opposite directions; (c) identity as the basis of inclusion and exclusion of citizens in the participatory processes in the polity and economy; and (d) perceiving identity of minorities as a source of threat for the nation and the state by the dominant majority, as against invoking identity as the route to justice by the weak/dominated minorities. These issues are relevant in situating identitarian movements in the wider context. This reader will be useful for students and scholars of sociology, anthropology, social history, Indian politics, and those studying Indian society and social movements in particular.