Journeys to Freedom

Journeys to Freedom: Dalit Narratives

Edited by Fernando Franco, Jyotsna Macwan and Suguna Ramanathan

demy octavo hb 400pp ISBN 81-85604-65-7 Rs 600 Jan 2004

A path-breaking book that presents subaltern voices offering lengthy interviews with fifty six dalits of Gujarat, both men and women who pinpoint experiences of discrimination and assertion that co-exist in India today, suggesting the complexities of social and political change. The respondents came from a variety of geographical areas of Gujarat.

Dalits in Gujarat face a society that has not experienced any social movements that challenged its traditional social arrangements in comparison to other states in India. The interviews reveal that dalits have undertaken journeys to self-respect. Many dalit women have been interviewed, and the authors suggest that they are the ‘base on which the future rests’.

Fernando Franco, S. J. is with the International Social Secretariate of the Society of Jesus; Jyotsna Macwan is with the Human Rights Cell at the Behavioural Science Centre, Ahmedabad; Suguna Ramanathan was formerly Dean of the Arts Faculty and Head of English Department at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad.

Published By:Samya

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