A history of prejudice : race, caste, and difference in India and the United States

This is a book about prejudice and democracy, and the prejudice of democracy. In comparing the historical struggles of two geographically disparate populations – Indian Dalits (once known as Untouchables) and African Americans – Gyanendra Pandey, the leading subaltern historian, examines the multiple dimensions of prejudice in two of the world's leading democracies. The juxtaposition of two very different locations and histories and, within each of these, of varying public and private narratives of struggle, allows for an uncommon analysis of the limits of citizenship in modern societies and states. Pandey, with his characteristic delicacy, probes the histories of his protagonists to uncover a shadowy world where intolerance and discrimination are part of both public and private lives. This unusual and sobering book is revelatory in its exploration of the contradictory history of promise and denial that is common to the official narratives of nations such as India and the United States and the ideologies of many opposition movements. This is a book about prejudice and democracy, and the prejudice of democracy. In comparing the historical struggles of two geographically disparate populations - Indian Dalits (once known as Untouchables) and African Americans - Gyanendra Pandey, the leading subaltern historian, examines the multiple dimensions of prejudice in two of the world's leading democracies. The juxtaposition of two very different locations and histories, and within each of them of varying public and private narratives of struggle, allows for an uncommon analysis of the limits of citizenship in modern societies and states. Pandey, with his characteristic delicacy, probes the histories of his protagonists to uncover a shadowy world where intolerance and discrimination are part of both public and private lives. This unusual and sobering book is revelatory in its exploration of the contradictory history of promise and denial that is common to the official narratives of nations such as India and the United States and the ideologies of many opposition movements. Pandey - A History of Prejudice - front Pandey - A History of Prejudice - contents Pandey - A History of Prejudice - figures Pandey - A History of Prejudice - preface Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Race, Caste, and Difference in India and the United States Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 2 Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 3 Dalit Conversion Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 4 'Double V' Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 5 - An African American Autobiography Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 6 Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Ch. 7 Pandey - A History of Prejudice - Biblio Pandey - A History of Prejudice - index Introduction -- Prejudice As Difference -- Dalit Conversion: The Assertion Of Sameness -- 'double V': The Everyday Of Race Relations -- An African American Autobiography: Re-locating Difference -- Dalit Memoirs: Re-scripting The Body -- The Persistence Of Prejudice. Gyanendra Pandey. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 221-231) And Index. Compares the historical struggles of two geographically disparate populations - Indian Dalits and African Americans - to examine prejudice in two leading democracies