Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique
In recent debates on the theoretical framework of social sciences, Indian political scientist Gopal Guru mounted a critique that Indian social science is not representative and egalitarian. In the same breath, Gopal Guru sought to rationalise this lacuna. Guru claimed that the works of Dalit scholar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Arnold Bergstraesser Institute
2018-11-01
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| Series: | International Quarterly for Asian Studies |
| Online Access: | https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/iqas/article/view/4076 |
| _version_ | 1798000494302461952 |
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| author | Sudarsan Padmanabhan |
| author_facet | Sudarsan Padmanabhan |
| author_sort | Sudarsan Padmanabhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent debates on the theoretical framework of social sciences, Indian political scientist Gopal Guru mounted a critique that Indian social science is not representative and egalitarian. In the same breath, Gopal Guru sought to rationalise this lacuna. Guru claimed that the works of Dalit scholars and thinkers are more performance-oriented and less theoretical. This paper would raise several issues with reference to Gopal Guru’s claims: Does theory belong to an elite category? Does the lack of representation of Dalit scholarship present a theoretical conundrum for Indian social sciences? Is Gopal Guru falling into the trap of hierarchical complementarity between theory and performance/praxis? And, is there an intractable dilemma among the Dalit scholars between the politics of representation and the politics of ideas? This paper demonstrates that Guru’s insistence on the moral, existential and social necessity of the Dalit theory is valid. But he is wrong in what he denies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:21:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03ca5c73ae774d528218dd7817c8ae19 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2566-686X 2566-6878 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:21:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | Arnold Bergstraesser Institute |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Quarterly for Asian Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-03ca5c73ae774d528218dd7817c8ae192022-12-22T04:26:59ZengArnold Bergstraesser InstituteInternational Quarterly for Asian Studies2566-686X2566-68782018-11-01481-210.11588/iqas.2017.1-2.4076Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit CritiqueSudarsan PadmanabhanIn recent debates on the theoretical framework of social sciences, Indian political scientist Gopal Guru mounted a critique that Indian social science is not representative and egalitarian. In the same breath, Gopal Guru sought to rationalise this lacuna. Guru claimed that the works of Dalit scholars and thinkers are more performance-oriented and less theoretical. This paper would raise several issues with reference to Gopal Guru’s claims: Does theory belong to an elite category? Does the lack of representation of Dalit scholarship present a theoretical conundrum for Indian social sciences? Is Gopal Guru falling into the trap of hierarchical complementarity between theory and performance/praxis? And, is there an intractable dilemma among the Dalit scholars between the politics of representation and the politics of ideas? This paper demonstrates that Guru’s insistence on the moral, existential and social necessity of the Dalit theory is valid. But he is wrong in what he denies.https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/iqas/article/view/4076 |
| spellingShingle | Sudarsan Padmanabhan Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique International Quarterly for Asian Studies |
| title | Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique |
| title_full | Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique |
| title_fullStr | Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique |
| title_short | Theory as Elite: The Phenomenological Dilemma of Dalit Critique |
| title_sort | theory as elite the phenomenological dilemma of dalit critique |
| url | https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/iqas/article/view/4076 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sudarsanpadmanabhan theoryaselitethephenomenologicaldilemmaofdalitcritique |