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- Title
Social Exclusion and Caste Hegemony: A Semiotic Understanding.
- Authors
Meti Mallikarjun
- Abstract
The present paper intends to explore how caste hegemony played a major role in maintaining 'social exclusion' in India and particularly in Karnataka. The modes of social recognition and de-recognition models are generally represented through language. This representation obviously becomes a social reality. This politics of social recognition is always discriminatory and partial. However, language can be taken into consideration in this paper as one of the signifiers for bringing out the different modes of caste hierarchy and social exclusion. The discourse of caste hierarchy and outcaste do not merely signify the oppressed conditions alone, they also the result in the phenomenon of 'symbolic violence'. Consequently, socio-cultural sufferings and violent practices like untouchability are still prevailing despite democratic practices and social movements in India. Peter Burke defines symbolic violence in History and Social Theory as something different from the concept that is being discussed in this paper. According to Burke, "symbolic violence... refers to the imposition of the culture of the ruling class on dominated groups, and especially to the process by which these dominated groups are forced to recognize the ruling culture as legitimate and their own culture as illegitimate". (1993:86) This argument appears to be general and linear at the outset. But as far as the underlying structures are concerned, this argument substantially brings out the semiotic realizations and conditions of caste and caste systems in India. Keeping in mind these objectives, this paper thoroughly investigates the socio-cultural conditions of social exclusion and caste hegemony, specifically in Karnataka. It is true that social exclusion and caste hegemony have been crucial topics inhuman history. For this reason, instead of rehearsing the old debates that have been circulated across time and space, we try to place them in a new order and perspective. Further, it is necessary to understand their dimensions which could impact through semiotics.
- Subjects
HINDUISM; SEMIOTICS; SOCIAL marginality; SOCIAL isolation; SOCIAL classes
- Publication
Language in India, 2017, Vol 17, Issue 8, p129
- ISSN
1930-2940
- Publication type
Article