Social Exclusion in Bengal: Culture, Politics and Minority

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The edited book Social Exclusion in Bengal: Culture Politics and Minority focuses on social Exclusion, which has its roots in historical divisions along the trends of castes, tribes, gender and minority. Exclusion and inequalities are structural in nature and kept entire groups trapped, unable to take advantage of opportunities that offers economic growth cultural enhancement and political participation among all. The term 'social exclusion' is of relatively recent origin and is of a quarter century old, though its contents very much existed in the past, and got reflected in any study of the poor and the marginalized people of the world. Social exclusion implies the exclusion of individuals or groups or communities from participating in certain significant functions or activities in society. Historical barriers still inhibit in modern Bengal and India as well, comparative frameworks to map and challenge the social exclusion and forms of discrimination of caste, racism and minority. The contributors who represent a multiplicity of disciplines and intellectual orientations explore comparative aspects of social exclusion on three major subthemes as 'Dalit voices and surviving life under social exclusion', 'contextual exclusion of caste, community, gender and minority' and 'exclusion in regional field survey. The editorial introduction locates this comparative project around this decent-based exclusion in a wide context holds out the promise of more general practices of resistance and emancipation by oppressed natural exclusion.

With the sub-sections, the volume covers the denial of equal opportunities imposed by certain groups of society upon others, which leads to inability of an individual to participate in the basic social, civil, political, economic and cultural functioning of society in which they live and relocates the people's many exclusions in the spheres of life like a livelihood, secure permanent employment, earnings, owning property, credit or land, housing, minimal or prevailing consumption level, education, skills and cultural capital, democratic participation in and functioning of the welfare state, citizenship and legal equality, public goods, affairs of family and sociability, humanity, respect, fulfillment and understanding.

At a time when democratic movements and urging people's national rights issues are sweeping across the country, this volume presents a fresh selection of authoritative scholarship and instructive debates centre on social exclusion as very divisive concepts in the histories of humanity, sociology and human governance.

It is an immense pleasure to introduce this book entitled "Social Exclusion in Bengal: Culture, Politics and Minority" edited by two young faculty Manosanta Biswas and Manoj Kumar Haldar, not merely that this is a new theme in Bengali intelligentsia, but it has a kind of different perspectives, where is found exclusion to inclusion the disadvantaged in the boarder arenas of modern society of Bengal. This imitative makes an understanding among the scholars, educators, and policymakers of our state that how the disadvantage castes, communities, rural peoples, minorities and women are excluded socially and economically from the mainstream society in general and from the educational institutions in particular.In the Open and Distance education areas, as our mission is reached to unreached, so it helps to make our policy of education for providing educational facilities to these excluded people as much as possible.

In Indian society, untouchable lower castes, women, and minorities were denied certain basic rights since the ancient times; they have remained backward in socio-economic conditions and psychological orientation also backward even today. They are socially discriminated and are deprived of traditionally owning land, active political participation, entering into trade and business, education particularly higher technical and professional one and in intellectual articulation. The cultural and economic exploitation of these groups still continues, creating the trap of poverty among them. The Constitution of India recognizes the need for distinct and special provisions related to their protection and development. Various policies and programmes, formulated as per the constitutional provisions, are made to reduce their discrimination and poverty, and to include them in almost all spheres of life. Unfortunately, there is still continuation of their exclusion from the various avenues.