Social MovementsClass 12 Social Change and Development in India NCERT Solutions
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Q1Questions
Imagine a society where there has been no social movement. Discuss. You can also describe how you imagine such a society to be.
Solution
A society without social movements would be stagnant, oppressive, and devoid of many rights and freedoms that are often taken for granted today. Based on the chapter, such a society would likely exhibit the following characteristics:
- Absence of Basic Rights: Rights such as an eight-hour workday, equal pay for equal work, social security, pensions, and even the weekend holiday would not exist, as these were the results of long struggles by workers' movements.
- Lack of Democracy: Universal adult franchise, the right for every adult to vote, would be absent. Governance would likely be in the hands of a colonial power, a monarchy, or an elite group of property-owners, as was the case in British India and even in Britain before movements like Chartism and the suffragettes fought for voting rights.
- Perpetuation of Social Evils: Deep-seated social hierarchies and discriminatory practices would remain unchallenged. Without the 19th-century social reform movements, practices like sati might have continued, and struggles against caste and gender discrimination would not have occurred. The rights of Dalits and other marginalized groups would not have been recognized.
- Economic Exploitation: Without peasant and workers' movements, exploitative systems like those of colonial landlords, moneylenders, and factory owners would persist without opposition. There would be no mechanism for the poor to protest deprivation or demand fair treatment.
- Environmental Degradation: Without ecological movements like the Chipko movement, the unchecked exploitation of natural resources for profit would continue, leading to severe environmental consequences without any resistance from affected local communities.
In essence, a society without social movements would be one where power structures remain rigid and unchallenged. There would be no formal channels for ordinary people to demand change, express dissent, or fight for justice, equality, and dignity. Social change would be extremely slow, if it happened at all, and society would fail to adapt to the needs and aspirations of its people.
Q2Questions
Write short notes on: Women's Movement Tribal Movements
Solution
Women's Movement
The women's movement in India has a long and varied history. It can be broadly seen in different phases:
- 19th and Early 20th Century: This phase was marked by social reform movements that raised issues concerning women, such as sati, widow remarriage, and education for girls. The early 20th century saw the growth of national-level women's organisations like the Women's India Association (WIA) in 1917 and the All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1926. Initially focused on 'women's welfare', these organisations later recognised that women's freedom was intrinsically linked to national freedom.
- Participation in Agrarian Struggles: Contrary to the assumption that only middle-class women were involved, women from rural and tribal areas actively participated alongside men in major agrarian struggles like the Tebhaga movement in Bengal and the Telangana arms struggle.
- Post-1970s Renewal: Often called the second phase, this period saw a renewal of the women's movement with new strategies and ideologies. A key focus was on issues of violence against women, such as dowry deaths, rape, and sexual harassment. Campaigns by the movement led to significant legal changes and raised public consciousness. This phase also brought a recognition that the concerns of all women are not the same; for instance, the issues faced by a Dalit peasant woman are different from those of an educated, upper-caste urban woman.
The movement has successfully fought for land rights, employment opportunities, and legal reforms, contributing to the goal of a gender-just society.
Tribal Movements
Tribal movements in India have been diverse, but they often share common themes of identity, economic exploitation, and alienation from their traditional lands and resources.
- Key Issues: A central issue for most tribal movements is the alienation from forest lands. Their struggles are often ecological, economic, and cultural. They have historically agitated against the acquisition of land for large projects, exploitation by moneylenders and traders (often called 'dikus'), and government policies that restrict their access to forest produce.
- Example of Jharkhand: The movement for a separate state of Jharkhand, carved out of Bihar in 2000, is a prime example. It was built on a century of resistance, iconised by the adivasi leader Birsa Munda. The spread of literacy by missionaries helped create a middle-class adivasi leadership that articulated the demand for a separate state. The movement unified adivasis against the 'dikus' who had impoverished the original residents while profiting from the region's mineral wealth.
- The North East: In the North East, tribal movements initially arose from concerns about being incorporated into the administrative machinery of Assam post-independence, threatening their distinct identity and autonomy. While earlier phases showed secessionist tendencies, the trend has shifted towards seeking greater autonomy within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
In essence, tribal movements are complex struggles for economic survival, cultural identity, and political representation against marginalisation.
Q3Questions
In India it is difficult to make a clear distinction between the old and new social movements. Discuss.
Solution
The distinction between 'old' and 'new' social movements, while useful in theory, is often blurred and difficult to apply rigidly in the Indian context.
'Old' social movements are typically understood as class-based struggles, such as those of workers and peasants, focusing on economic inequality and the reorganisation of power. They were often led by political parties. 'New' social movements, which emerged in the West, are seen as focusing on 'quality of life' issues like the environment or identity politics (e.g., women's or students' movements), and are not necessarily organised along class lines.
However, in India, these categories overlap significantly:
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Intermingling of Issues: Many movements that appear to be 'new' also contain strong elements of 'old' movements. The Chipko Movement is a classic example. While it was an ecological movement (a 'new' theme) to save forests, it was simultaneously a struggle for the livelihood and subsistence of poor villagers against commercial interests (an 'old' economic theme). It also involved issues of political representation for hill people against a distant state government.
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Evolution of 'Old' Movements: Class-based movements have evolved to incorporate 'new' social issues. The text notes that farmers' movements, which are rooted in the economic demands of agricultural producers, have broadened their agenda to include environmental and women's issues. This integration makes them a hybrid of old and new movements.
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Identity and Economics are Linked: In India, identity politics and economic inequality are deeply intertwined. Tribal movements are a fight for cultural identity and autonomy ('new' theme) but are fundamentally rooted in the alienation from land and resources, which is an economic issue ('old' theme). Similarly, Dalit movements are a struggle for dignity and an end to caste-based discrimination, but they also address the severe economic exploitation and poverty faced by the community.
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Role of Political Parties: While 'new' social movements are often seen as operating outside party politics, in India, many such movements, including environmental and women's groups, engage with and are sometimes allied with political formations. The term 'civil society' is now used to encompass both old formations like trade unions and new ones like NGOs and women's groups.
Therefore, in India, social movements rarely fit neatly into one category. Economic inequality, cultural identity, political rights, and quality-of-life concerns are often inseparable, making the distinction between old and new social movements difficult to maintain.
Q4Questions
Environmental movements often also contain economic and identity issues. Discuss.
Solution
Environmental movements in India are rarely just about protecting nature for its own sake; they are deeply interwoven with issues of economic livelihood, social inequality, and cultural identity. The Chipko Movement, as described in the chapter, is a prime example of this complex interplay.
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Economic Issues: The core conflict in the Chipko Movement was economic. It pitted the 'economy of subsistence' of the local villagers against the 'economy of profit' of the state and commercial contractors. The villagers, particularly women, relied on the forest for daily necessities like firewood and fodder. The government's plan to sell timber to contractors directly threatened their survival. Thus, the environmental goal of saving trees was inseparable from the economic necessity of preserving their livelihood.
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Identity and Political Issues: The movement also reflected a struggle for regional identity and political representation. It expressed the resentment of the hill villagers against a distant government located in the plains, which they felt was indifferent and hostile to their concerns. The act of hugging the trees was not only to save them but also to assert their right to control their local resources. It was a political statement demanding that their voices be heard in decisions affecting their lives and environment.
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Social Inequality: The conflict highlighted the deep social inequality between poor, marginalized villagers and a powerful state that represented commercial and capitalist interests. The movement was a form of resistance by the powerless against a development model that displaced them and destroyed their environment for the benefit of others.
Similarly, the chapter points out that for tribal movements, ecological issues are central because their cultural identity and economic survival are tied to the forests. The alienation of tribals from forest lands is simultaneously an ecological, economic, and cultural crisis. Therefore, in the Indian context, environmental movements are often composite movements where concerns about ecology, economy, and identity are fundamentally linked.
Q5Questions
Distinguish between peasant and New Farmer's movements.
Solution
The chapter distinguishes between the earlier peasant movements and the 'new farmer's movements' that emerged in the 1970s based on their participants, demands, organisation, and methods.
Peasant Movements:
- Time Period: These movements were prominent from the pre-colonial era through to the early decades after Independence (e.g., Tebhaga movement 1946-47, Telangana movement 1946-51).
- Participants: They primarily involved peasants, tenants, and sharecroppers who were often engaged in subsistence agriculture.
- Core Issues: Their struggles were directed against exploitation by landlords (zamindars), moneylenders, and the colonial state. Key demands included freedom from economic exploitation, reduction of land revenue, security of tenure, and a larger share of the agricultural produce.
- Organisation: These movements were often linked to or led by political parties and peasant organisations like the Kisan Sabhas and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
New Farmer's Movements:
- Time Period: These movements began in the 1970s in commercially advanced regions like Punjab and Tamil Nadu.
- Participants: They involved 'farmers' rather than 'peasants'. Farmers are defined as those who are market-involved as both producers of agricultural commodities and purchasers of inputs. They are typically more affluent and engaged in commercial farming.
- Core Issues: The focus of their demands shifted from land relations to 'price and related issues'. They agitated for remunerative prices for their produce, subsidies for agricultural inputs (like fertilizers and electricity), lower taxes, and non-repayment of loans. Their ideology was strongly anti-state and anti-urban, viewing government policies as biased in favour of the urban-industrial sector.
- Organisation and Methods: These movements were typically regionally organised and non-party based. They employed novel methods of agitation, such as blocking roads and railways and refusing entry to politicians and bureaucrats in their villages.