Caste Conflict and Social Justice

Book excerpt: Jati, transliterated as caste in English from the original Portuguese word casta is not only one of India's most striking social realities, but also the building block to know its social superstructure. In India, caste is considered to be the source of discrimination, injustice and ensuing conflict through ages. However, in the post-independence India, caste aberrations were sought to be corrected through the political process of social justice to the oppressed and marginalized caste groups. The book Caste Conflict and Social Justice: the discourse and design analyzes the fundamental issues of caste conflict arising out of the social, political and economic oppression and discrimination of the weaker and marginalized castes in the wider context of social justice. It presents one of India's most populous and politically assertive states Bihar which remained the hotbed of ideological and violent caste conflicts for decades as a case study to understand the dynamics of caste conflict.