MINORITY STUDIES OIP

Book Details:

• Author: Oxford University Press

• Publisher: Oxford University Press

• Edition: 2

• Binding Type: Paperback

• Number of Pages: 332

• Release Date: 16-12-2019

• ISBN: 9780199487288

• EAN: 9780199487288

• Language: English

• Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches

About The Book:

Minority Studies, the first volume in the Oxford India Studies in Contemporary Society series, delves deeply into the complexities surrounding the identification, definition, and categorization of religious minorities in India. Drawing from fieldwork and ethnographically researched locations, this book explores how modern law shapes and conditions minority identity, and how these identities are often manipulated to serve specific agendas at certain points in time.

The work is grounded in India’s post-independence history, especially the Partition, and looks at the legal provisions that safeguard minority rights. It critically examines how caste, gender, ethnicity, and class intersect with minority status, and explores the tension between majority and minority identities, especially when groups historically considered part of the ‘majority’ assert their claims to minority status.

In this updated second edition, the editor expands the discussion by highlighting the resurgence of majoritarian populist politics in India. The book includes insightful commentary on recent instances of violence, such as lynching and attacks on Muslims and Dalits under the guise of cow vigilantism, which have intensified the discourse surrounding the minority question in India’s socio-political climate.

This book is an essential resource for scholars and activists working on issues related to identity, law, and politics in contemporary India.