The untouchables

This study turns to the people who have been pushed to the margins of Indian society and asks how the category of the Untouchables came to exist, both as a social fact and as a political label. It traces the historical currents that shaped that classification and considers where these communities stand in India today.

The authors contend that, although various measures have been introduced to improve conditions for these groups, a substantial system of discrimination still endures. Their analysis is positioned as a significant contribution to debates about poverty in social and economic terms, and its broad range of viewpoints is meant to appeal to scholars across many fields.