Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
What is untouchability?
Solution
Untouchability is a social practice within the caste system in which members of the lowest castes are thought to be ritually impure to such a limit that they cause pollution by a mere touch or even sight. Untouchable castes are at the bottom of the hierarchical system. These low castes are excluded from most social institutions.
It is an extreme and vicious aspect of the caste system. It uses stringent social and ritual sanctions against members of castes located at the bottom of the purity pollution scale. They are considered to be outside the caste hierarchy.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
What is the relationship between caste and economic inequality today?
Describe some of the policies designed to address caste inequality.
How are the Other Backward Castes different from the Dalits (or Scheduled Castes)?
What are the major issues of concern to Adivasis today?
People do not face discrimination and exclusion on the basis of:
Caste system can be understood as the combination of two sets of principles:
Which of the statements is not true for the Khasi tribes?
Assertion: Ritually highest caste – the Brahmins were subordinated to the secular power of kings and rulers belonging to the Kshatriya castes.
Reason: In strict scriptural terms, Brahmins were not supposed to amass wealth.
Prolonged experience of discriminatory or insulting behaviour often produces a reaction on the part of the excluded who then stop trying for inclusion. In this context choose the incorrect statement.
Assertions of tribal identity are on the rise. This can be laid at the door of the emergence of a middle class within the tribal society. With the emergence of this class, in particular, issues of culture, tradition, livelihood, even control over land and resources, as well as demands for a share in the benefits of the projects of modernity, have become an integral part of the articulation of identity among the tribes. There is, therefore, a new consciousness among tribes now, coming from its middle classes. The middle classes themselves are a consequence of modern education and modern occupations, aided in turn by the reservation policies.
States like Jharkhand and Chattisgarh have made full use of their statehood as a result of the tribal movement. Mark the statement as true or false.
Which of the following is true regarding discrimination?
Prejudices are often grounded in what?
What are untouchable castes considered to be?
When did the OBC issue become a regional affair pursued at the state rather than the central level?
It means an opinion formed in advance of any familiarity with the subject before considering any available evidence.
Who proposed a resolution against the evils of polygamy in the All India Muslim Ladies Conference?
Who was known as the Father of Indian Renaissance?
Which of the following features is not an element of the policy of Apartheid?
Read the passage given and answer the question:
| The following observations were made by G.B. Pant during a speech that moved the constitution of the Advisory Committee on fundamental rights, minorities, etc. "We have to take particular care of the Depressed Classes, the Scheduled Castes, and the Backward Classes ...we must do all we can to bring them up to the general level..the strength of the chain is measured by the weakest link of it and so until every link is fully revitalised, we will not have a healthy body politic. Recent years have seen renewed debate about the States' decisions on reservation to this section." |
- Based on the passage above, who are referred to as the weakest link of the society?
- Why should and how can this weakest link be fully revitalised?
- Define 'Secularisation of caste'
Using an example, describe adivasis internal colonialism.
The 1989 Prevention of Atrocities Act revised and strengthened the legal provisions punishing acts of violence or humiliation against Dalits and adivasis. Legislation on this subject was passed repeatedly.
Do you think state action alone can ensure social change? Give reasons for your answer.
