CONCEPTUALIZING CASTE, STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION: CHALLENGES IN THE LIVES OF DALITS
Author Name: 1. Anju Devi 2. Raj Kumar
Volume/Issue: 02/06
Country: India
DOI NO.: 08.2020-25662434 DOI Link: https://www.doi-ds.org/doilink/12.2021-45187613/UIJIR
Affiliation:
- Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, University of Jammu, J & K, India
- Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of History, University of Jammu, J & K, India
ABSTRACT
Caste system is deep rooted in Indian society. It is a societal hierarchical arrangement in which some social groups of the Indian society are considered as superior and others are considered as inferior. Those who consider themselves superior discriminate with others. Not only this, there are certain norms which are set by the society like one cannot marry outside one’s caste. In India, the caste system is rigidly followed by Hindus. The people of the lower rank are considered as Shudras or untouchables. Eating food from them or marrying with them is considered as something wrong and against the societal norms. Similarly, this caste system affects every sphere of individuals’ lives. Even, casteism is there in formal and informal institutions. The present paper attempts to understand the problems and challenges which Dalits face in their lives. It tried to explore the kind of stigma attached with them. This is a conceptual paper based on the secondary sources which include research papers, different online sites, newspaper reports, books and articles. From this study, it is found that casteism and discrimination is everywhere, even in educational institutions. Due to this, many get psychologically depressed and they feel alienated from the rest of the world which ultimately hampers their progress.
Key words: Caste, Discrimination, Stigma, Dalit, Institutions, Untouchables
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