Social Mobility among Indian Religious Minorities: Structural Support versus Internal Barriers

Abstract

India is a plural society comprising of different types of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities. There is an urgent need to study the social mobility among minority groups for many reasons. In some countries, specifically theocratic states and dictatorship and communist states minorities have been subjected to a lot of discrimination in many walks of life. However, India since her political emancipation from the colonial powers adopted secularism as the bedrock of governance. Hence, many constitutional safeguards and welfare measures have been designed and implemented to improve the living conditions of minorities. Our constitution shows a great concern for minorities. Ours is a biggest democracy in the world. Naturally, all national level and regional parties have resorted to appeasement politics. Appeasement of minorities and majorities are equally bad. However, it indirectly has helped the minorities to get some legitimate share in the fruits of development. The present paper seeks to examine the role of “external support provided by state” and “internal obstacles inherent among minorities” in moving up in social ladder.