Social Movements in Modern India

Contents: Preface. 1. Womens movements. 2. Environmental movements. 3. Peasant movements. 4. Tribal movements. 5. Dalit movements. 6. Backward caste/class movements. 7. Industrial working class movements. 8. Students movements. 9. Human rights. 10. India and the world. Bibliography. Index.

From the early 1970s new forms of social mobilization began in India. They gained a variety of names like social movement people’s movement popular movements etc. These movements emerged and highlighted some of the major issues as gender and environment. The role of social movements in Indian politics has always been important, even before independence from colonial rule in 1947.

Social movements are change oriented political formations, often suing tactics such as direct action, with loose and informal organizational structures. They are organized around ideas, which give the individuals who adhere to the movement new forms of social and political identity. Most well known movements in the country are Chipko Movement, Save Silent Valley, Narmada Bachao Andolen, Koel Karo, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha. These movements largely distanced themselves from political parties, or tried to cut across the ideologies of the political parties. The nineteenth century India in general and nineteenth century Bengal in particular, experienced a number of path breaking social reform movements, which together helped India to come out of its medieval darkness and emerge into the modern age.