Beyond Conversion and Sanskritisation: Articulating an Alternative Dalit Agenda in East Punjab

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
RONKI RAM
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Democratic Politics ◽  
Mobility Models ◽  
Clear Indication ◽  
Local Structures ◽  
Catalytic Role ◽  
Northwest India ◽  
Similar Alternative

AbstractGiven different socio-economic structures, and acute landlessness among the Dalits of East Punjab, the agendas of conversion to neo-Buddhism and sanskritisation, the two most popular Dalit social mobility models in India, have failed to strike a cord among the Dalits in this border state of northwest India. But that does not imply that Dalits of Punjab have failed in improving their social status. On the contrary, they have been very vocal in their assertions for social justice and dignity, and pressing for a due share in the local structures of power; a clear indication of a significant surge of Dalit social mobility in Punjab. The question that still remains largely unexplored, however, relates to the patterns of Dalit social mobility in Punjab that have emerged independently of the agendas of conversion to neo-Buddhism and sanskritisation. The study aims to map out the contours of an emerging alternative Dalit agenda in Punjab, which is conspicuous by its absence in existing Dalit studies, and examines its catalytic role in enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of increasingly visible Dalit social mobility in the state. The paper concludes by visualising the possibility of an articulation and assertion of a similar alternative Dalit agenda through highly contentious democratic politics in other parts of India, where the archetypical agendas of conversion and sanskritisation have either failed to deliver social justice and dignity or could not simply appeal to the local Dalit population.

scholarly journals The Structural Dilemma of Citizen Participation: The Interactive Influence of Social Status and Subjective Social Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110031
Author(s):  
Xuyun Tan ◽  
Xuejiao Dou ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Cai Xing ◽  
Baoyu Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Stratification Structure ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
High Social Status

In the context of rapid social change, the perception of social stratification has far-reaching and complex influences on human psychology and behavior, including citizen participation. The current research explored the interactive influence of social status and subjective social mobility on citizen participation. Two studies used experimental methods to manipulate subjective social mobility and social status, respectively, to examine the interactive effect. Taken together, the results of both studies revealed that the interaction between social status and subjective social mobility had a significant influence on citizen participation: whereas citizen participation with high social status was not affected by subjective social mobility, citizen participation with low social status decreased with increases in subjective social mobility. This research established a combined dynamic and static analysis framework of social stratification structure, elucidating the current status of citizen participation under the influence of the interaction between social status and subjective social mobility, and providing a countermeasure reference for effectively promoting citizen participation.

scholarly journals Subjective social mobility, quality of life and mental health of asylum seekers/refugees in Germany

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Costa ◽  
L Biddle ◽  
C Mühling ◽  
K Bozorgmehr
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Subjective Social Status ◽  
Downward Mobility ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Abstract Background Changes in the subjective social status (SSS) of migrants, specifically between the pre- and post-migratory movement, can be a relevant determinant of their mental health condition. This study analyzed the effect of downward subjective social mobility to the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) in Germany. Methods Through a random sampling procedure, 560 adult ASR (18+ years) were recruited across 58 collective accommodation centers in Germanys' 3rd largest state (2018). SSS was assessed with the MacArthur social ladder (10-rungs), in reference to the participants' position in the country of origin and in Germany. Quality of Life (QoL, measured with EUROHIS-QOL), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-2) and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), were considered as mental health outcomes. Generalized linear regression models were fitted to measure associations between changes in SSS and each outcome. Results A loss of 3 or more steps in SSS from origin to Germany (compared to no-change) was significantly associated with poorer scores in QoL (B, standardized coefficient= -2.679, standard error, se = 1.351, p = 0.047), with more symptoms of depression (B = 1.156, se = 0.389, p = 0.003) and anxiety (B = 0.971, se = 0.432, p = 0.025), in models adjusted for SSS in the country of origin. The strength and direction of associations was unaltered after further adjusting for sex, age, educational level and time since arrival, although the coefficient for QoL was non-significant for those declaring a 3-step downward mobility (B= -2.494, se = 1.351, p = 0.066 for QoL; B = 1.048, se = 0.393, p = 0.008 for depression; and B = 1.006, se = 0.438, p = 0.022 for anxiety). Discussion The results suggest that interventions should focus on those experiencing social downward mobility and not only prioritize individuals with low social status. Early integration efforts and intersectoral measures to counter social downward mobility could prevent poor mental health among ASR. Key messages We analysed the impact to the quality of life and mental health of asylum seekers and refugees, of a change in subjective social status from country of origin to Germany. Asylum seekers and refugees residing in Germany, who perceived a downward social status mobility following their migration process, are at risk for poorer mental health.

Approaches To The Concept Of Social Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Isakov S.D. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Social Role ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sociological Interpretation

The article discusses the sociological interpretation of the concept of social mobility, its generality with the concept of stratification and features of individuality. The emergence of social mobility with the change of social status and social role of the individual is also emphasized. The article also briefly discusses the classification of social mobility.

Social Mobility in the Later Roman Empire: The evidence of Ausonius

1961 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 239-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Excellent Opportunity

The description Ausonius has given us of his family and of the teachers and professors of Bordeaux in the mid-fourth century is exceptional among our sources because of its detail and completeness. There is no reason to suppose that the picture he gives is untypical of life in the provinces and it makes a welcome change from the histories of aristocratic politics at Rome or Constantinople. It provides an excellent opportunity for a pilot study in which we may see how the conflicting elements of social status were in practice reconciled and applied. In the traditional, and still prevalent view, the society of the Later Roman Empire was ‘crushed … in the iron clamp of castes separated from one another by barriers which could not be passed’. The evidence of Ausonius suggests that this judgement should be qualified. The society of the fourth century may have been stable. It was not static.

scholarly journals PATTERNS OF WEALTH TRAJECTORY IN LATER LIFE: CRITICAL PERIOD, ACCUMULATION, AND SOCIAL MOBILITY MODELS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S382-S382
Author(s):  
Yu-Chih Chen ◽  
Sojung Park ◽  
Nancy Morrow-Howell
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Mobility Models ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Wealth, an important financial cushion for older adults to buffer economic stress, requires a longer time to accumulate and develop in one’s course of life. However, little is known about the trajectories of wealth in later life, and how the life course socioeconomic status (SES) may contribute to the development of wealth at old-age. This study investigated longitudinal patterns of wealth trajectory and whether SES across the life course affects these trajectories using critical period, accumulation, and social mobility models. Using data from 16,189 adults aged 51 and older from the 2004-2014 Health and Retirement Study, a growth mixture model was used to explore distinct wealth trajectories. Impacts of life course models were studied using multinomial logistic regression. Results showed that four heterogeneous latent classes of wealth were identified: Stable high (reference group), Low and increasing, Stable low, and High but decline. Disadvantaged adulthood SES, accumulated exposure to socioeconomic risks, and downward or persistent socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course were associated with Stable low, Low and increasing, and High but decline, supporting all three life course mechanisms on wealth development in later life. Evidence suggests that wealth development is heterogeneous across individuals, and a strong gradient effect of life-course SES on wealth trajectories are clearly observed. Programs and policies should address the effects of life course on wealth development to strengthen the economic well-being in later life.

scholarly journals Elites in the Early Middle Ages: Identities, Strategies, Mobility

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (04) ◽  
pp. 733-768
Author(s):  
François Bougard ◽  
Geneviève Bührer-Thierry ◽  
Régine Le Jan
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Eleventh Century ◽  
Political Sociology ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Early Middle Ages

When considering status within early medieval societies, it is necessary to set aside juridical classifications in favor of concepts derived from political sociology—the notion of an “elite” can thus encompass any individual occupying an elevated social position within his or her community, be it through wealth, power, or culture. Using textual and archaeological sources, historians can seek out the processes of distinction and social recognition that were characteristic of elites throughout the early Middle Ages (from the sixth to the eleventh century). The Carolingian period shows signs of increasing hierarchization, which led both individuals and groups to devise strategies for bolstering their position and forestalling the loss of social status. Within the framework of these processes of social mobility, it becomes possible to examine elites at various levels and from different chronological and regional perspectives while avoiding an overly structural analysis.

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