Dalit Academic Journeys: Stories of Caste, Exclusion and Assertion in Indian Higher Education

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the academic journeys of Dalit students and their lived experiences of systemic exclusion in Indian higher education. It explains their educational journeys beyond caste-based discrimination, specifically analyzing the power dynamics, resilience, and resistance in their institutional life. The volume — Describes institutional culture, practices and contexts that contribute to a negative environment for Dalit students, and what changes would be required to create a positive campus climate for them; — Provides a comparative analysis with the U.S. higher education contexts while drawing theoretical frameworks from critical race theory in educational settings, social reproduction theory, and diversity research; — Discusses the significance of developing anti-casteist, democratic, and inclusive university spaces in India, with an emphasis on how Indian university campuses can be transformed through diversity, equity, inclusion initiatives, and indispensable support programs to assist Dalit and other vulnerable students Nuanced and accessible, this book will be of interest to students, teachers, and researchers of education, higher education, sociology, exclusion studies, and Dalit studies. It will also be useful for policymakers; social activists; NGOs; research centres; and those working in the areas of higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, anti-caste, and exclusion studies.