Social Difference and Inequality in South Asia

Running head: ASIAN STUDIES
ASIAN STUDIES
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ASIAN STUDIES
Introduction
The history of the South Asian region has been diverse and full of extreme events.
Starting from the subjugation of the Asian countries by the Muslim conquest of the
Middle East and then the British Empire, the freedom movement of the Indian sub-
continent and the internal caste and religion based conflicts within the region,
subcontinent has been full of events. The thesis of this paper is that the social difference
has contributed to inequality and conflicts in the region.
The Indian subcontinent has been home to various groups of population including
Hindus, Muslims and Christians. There have been various divisions and sub divisions
within these religious communities which have been causes of many conflicts and
inequality (Oddie, 2013).
This paper will be discussing about the aspects of social difference and their
associated structures of inequality in South Asia intersect, and how have conflicts arisen
around them since the mid-20th century. It will be explaining what are some of the major
social movements in South Asia, and how do they use, or reject, international political
ideologies (like democracy, neoliberalism, Maoism) and/or concepts of human rights and
development.
“The modern nation-states of South Asiastruggle with the problems of defining
national identities, providing social and political inclusion for all groups of people within
their borders, and relating to neighboring nations in mutually beneficial ways.”
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ASIAN STUDIES
Body of the Paper
Social difference and their associated structures of inequality in South Asia
There are various social divisions within the different religious communities in
India since the middle ages. The coming of the Muslims in India had escalated the
religious and caste divisions and conflicts (. During the time of independence in the 20 th
century India has been affected by deep social hierarchies and divisions like caste,
religion, gender and class. The Zamindari system or the Indian version of feudalism has
been effective in causing the divisions of the society.At the season of freedom, India was
portrayed by profoundly settled in social chains of importance, characterized by rank,
sexual orientation, area and religion (Wadley, 2014). The medieval zamindari framework
partitioned country society into three wide classes: “landowners (zamindars),
sharecroppers, and landless workers”. Ladies, Untouchables, and ancestral people groups
were avoided from basic leadership at both provincial and national levels. The new
legislature of India set the objectives of binding together the country, building industry,
advancing monetary development, and over the span of these, decreasing disparity and
destitution.
The ways in which conflicts have arisen around social differences since the mid-20th
century
The caste system in India is one of the negative phenomenon of the South Asian
subcontinent (Hindu vs. Hindu: caste violence in India, 2018). One of the effects of this
system is to formalize exploitation the lower positions, an issue that was most genuine for
minimal rung of society, the Untouchables (Guha, 2013). Working with leather, cleaning
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