Inequitable Structures: Class and Caste in Indian Higher Education

Abstract

In India, university students from scheduled castes (SCs) face a number of challenges that not only prevent them from graduating but also prevent them from being strong performers in universities and upon graduation. Utilizing the framework of social capital, this article draws upon life histories, secondary interviews, and document analysis to understand the lived realities of four male Indian adolescents from different SCs who are in their third year of university studies. Although the findings support the notion that overt acts of discrimination based on a student’s caste are negligible, lower caste students have limited access to the networks that create social capital. Moreover, institutional efforts to develop or enhance student social capital are minimal. For these reasons, the article concludes that systemic reform is necessary to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome less obvious forms of discrimination, so that they might succeed during college and after graduation.

Brahmins as scientists and science as Brahmins’ calling: Caste in an Indian scientific research institute

“…Though this article is an ethnographic study of one Indian scientific research Institution, it does talk to the data available from other scientific institutions and universities in India. Existing sociological studies demonstrate that there exist various forms of caste discrimination in many of the Indian universities, institutes and colleges (Chadha and Achuthan, 2017; Kondaiah et al, 2017; Pathania and Tierney, 2018; Tierney et al, 2019). Anthropological and sociological studies also confirm that caste-based discrimination and bias is not absent in leading Indian universities such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) (Henry and Ferry, 2017; Rao, 2013; Subramanian, 2015, 2019).…”

Beyond Access and Inclusion: Dalit Experiences of Participation in Higher Education in Rural Punjab

“…Intersectionality of caste, gender and patriarchy sets different rules for female students, where they find themselves negotiating for maintaining their honour, bearing the family responsibility and sustaining themselves in this voyage of attending a higher education degree. Tierney et al (2018) rightly stated that if we want to achieve a systematic reform where everyone achieves their dream, then different sorts of educational experience need to occur on educational campuses. One should not assume that because discrimination is no longer overt, it has been eliminated.…”

“…This study primarily endeavours to explore what happens after reaching inside the walls of a higher education institute by looking inside processes such as classroom participation; peer interactions; and intersectionality of class, caste and gender. While many studies (Malish & Ilavarasan, 2015; Pathania & Tierney, 2018; Pandey & Pandey, 2018; Rao, 2013; Tierney, Sabharwal, & Malish, 2018; Velaskar & Wankhade, 1996; Xaxa, 2002) have captured the process of social exclusion, stigma and academic challenges of Dalit (and STs) students at the elite institutes like IITs and Central universities (Delhi, Hyderabad), there is lacuna of studies which focus on experiences of SC students in higher education institutes at the micro level. This study attempts to fill this gap by analysing the journey of SC participants at a government institute in a rural setting of Punjab where Dalit have a unique presence with the largest share of population in any Indian state.…”

Forward March: Living an Academic Life

“…Globalization impacts academic work in one way at the University of Southern California and quite a different way at Universiti Sains Malaysia, in Penang. Inequity exists in one manner for students of color in the United States and quite a different way for Dalits (Untouchables) in India (Tierney 2004(Tierney , 2010Tierney and Lanford 2017;Tierney et al 2019).…”

“…With all of these studies, and many others, I have been a border crosser. Most recently, I have done studies of Dalit (untouchable) youth in India (Pathania and Tierney 2018;Tierney et al 2019).…”