Caste and Dalit politics in the making of civil society -- Dalit movements in the post-panther period : contextualising the BSP and MHA in Marathwada -- Of peasant kings and untouchable citizens : caste violence and democratisation of public spaces in rural Maharashtra -- Jameen Aamchya Hakkachi : politics of land rights and advocacy NGOs in Marathwada -- The imagined "Bahujan" : caste and cultural repertoires of BSP -- Beyond Mahar dominance : the making of Phule-Ambedkarite Mangs in MHA -- Electoral politics and Dalit freedoms -- Between high democracy and low civility : why Dalits need a civil society
Summary
Civil society as an analytical concept is increasingly treated with suspicion in the study of politics in postcolonial societies. While engaging with Dalit struggles for civility, this book offers a critique of normative liberal assumptions of civil society and also counters the scholarship that rejects the idea and possibility of civil society in postcolonial societies. Based on an ethnography of Dalit movements in Maharashtra, this book highlights the centrality of caste in constructing localized forms and processes of civil society. The study marks a shift from perspectives that
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 212-226) and index
