Realizing dignity : Dalits rights, land reform, and the learning of democratic citizenship

This dissertation addresses the questions: When, and how, are durable inequalities disrupted and democratic citizenship deepened in societies that are politically committed to liberal democracy but have substantial social inequalities? How do law and social movements influence and shape this process? I develop answers by examining a successful case of land reform in Surendranagar (Gujarat, India), which was the result of socio-legal mobilization spearheaded by a local human rights organization called Navsarjan Trust. My main argument is that by working with Dalits in Surendranagar Navsarjan caseworkers helped articulate and popularize what philosopher Martha Nussbaum has called the "public myth of equality." I develop this main argument by developing responses to four questions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Siddiqi, Faizan Jawed.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Balakrishnan Rajagopal.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129874

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/129874