04-17-2006, 09:51 PM
xposting from dalit thread..
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?roo...9&filetype=html
From Sept 2003 EPW..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dalit or Harijan?
Self-Naming by Scheduled Caste Interviewees
The terms harijan and dalit have evolved over the last many decades, with the latter more or less replacing the former in published works of recent years. What do members of the scheduled castes call themselves?
Alan Marriott
The most socially and politically acceptable name for the most disadvantaged members of Indian society has changed over the years. Outcaste and untouchable have become unacceptable (although, sadly, still having some descriptive validity). They were replaced, chronologically, by harijan in the middle of the 20th century and subsequently dalit in last decade or two of the century. These names are closely associated with M K Gandhi and B S Ambedkar, respectively and the shift in the status of the names is linked with changed attitudes in the broader political environment as the relative standing of Gandhi and Ambedkar has altered. However, although these changes in usage have clearly occurred among politically aware commentators it is not so apparent what members of the least privileged social groups in Indian society (officially, and perhaps neutrally identified as scheduled castes) call themselves. This study examines the results of a survey in which interviewees were asked to give the name of their caste.
...................
Dalit is now almost universally preferred among researchers and writers. In the Economic and Political Weekly, for example, there has been a marked increase in the number of papers with dalit in their title from the 1980s. There were just 13 papers between 1981 and 1990 compared with 62 in the following decade â including a veritable rush of 33 papers in 1995-97. Harajan appeared in just two titles â in 1981 and 1986.
...................
<b>While most of the scheduled caste respondents gave their jati, a proportion recorded a generic name, but while harijan (or harizan or some other spelling) was used by 1351 respondents in 18 different states, and a number of respondents used scheduled caste, not one respondent chose dalit. </b>In addition some respondents gave harijan qualified by their jati, e g, harijan parayar in Tamil Nadu
...................
Whatever the reservations about the data the scale of the difference in the use of dalit and harijan suggests that there is a real contrast in the preferred name chosen by external commentators and SC people themselves. Ambedkar may be winning the posthumous rivalry among the scribbling classes but Gandhi remains the dominant opinion-former among the SCs themsleves.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?roo...9&filetype=html
From Sept 2003 EPW..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dalit or Harijan?
Self-Naming by Scheduled Caste Interviewees
The terms harijan and dalit have evolved over the last many decades, with the latter more or less replacing the former in published works of recent years. What do members of the scheduled castes call themselves?
Alan Marriott
The most socially and politically acceptable name for the most disadvantaged members of Indian society has changed over the years. Outcaste and untouchable have become unacceptable (although, sadly, still having some descriptive validity). They were replaced, chronologically, by harijan in the middle of the 20th century and subsequently dalit in last decade or two of the century. These names are closely associated with M K Gandhi and B S Ambedkar, respectively and the shift in the status of the names is linked with changed attitudes in the broader political environment as the relative standing of Gandhi and Ambedkar has altered. However, although these changes in usage have clearly occurred among politically aware commentators it is not so apparent what members of the least privileged social groups in Indian society (officially, and perhaps neutrally identified as scheduled castes) call themselves. This study examines the results of a survey in which interviewees were asked to give the name of their caste.
...................
Dalit is now almost universally preferred among researchers and writers. In the Economic and Political Weekly, for example, there has been a marked increase in the number of papers with dalit in their title from the 1980s. There were just 13 papers between 1981 and 1990 compared with 62 in the following decade â including a veritable rush of 33 papers in 1995-97. Harajan appeared in just two titles â in 1981 and 1986.
...................
<b>While most of the scheduled caste respondents gave their jati, a proportion recorded a generic name, but while harijan (or harizan or some other spelling) was used by 1351 respondents in 18 different states, and a number of respondents used scheduled caste, not one respondent chose dalit. </b>In addition some respondents gave harijan qualified by their jati, e g, harijan parayar in Tamil Nadu
...................
Whatever the reservations about the data the scale of the difference in the use of dalit and harijan suggests that there is a real contrast in the preferred name chosen by external commentators and SC people themselves. Ambedkar may be winning the posthumous rivalry among the scribbling classes but Gandhi remains the dominant opinion-former among the SCs themsleves.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->