Conjugated oppression within contemporary capitalism: class, caste, tribe and agrarian change in India

Lerche, Jens; Alpa, Shah

Abstract

Neoliberal globalisation has resulted in the bypassing of agrarian transition-led industrialisation and classic proletarianisation, and class-for-itself class struggles are rare. Drawing on analyses of class relations, racism and other forms of social oppression, this contribution explores how processes of ‘conjugated oppression’ are central to the spread of contemporary capitalism. The focus is on India and on how the co-constitution of class relations and social oppression based on caste, tribe, gender and region is entrenching Dalits and Adivasis at the bottom of social and economic hierarchies. The analysis has deep-seated consequences for how we think about political struggles, in this case ones that foreground caste and tribe and focus on both labour and land.

Citation

Lerche, J., & Alpa, S. (in press). Conjugated oppression within contemporary capitalism: class, caste, tribe and agrarian change in India. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 45(5-6), 927-949. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2018.1463217

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 11, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 30, 2018
• Deposit Date: Nov 2, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 2, 2018
• Print ISSN: 0306-6150
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9361
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 5-6
• Pages: 927-949
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2018.1463217
• Keywords: class, caste, tribe, India, racism, conjugated oppression, capitalism