Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / This dissertation focuses on the theological ethical framework of ‘hope in justice’ for addressing the caste discrimination, particularly within the context of the Dalit lifeworld in India. It draws parallels between the caste system in India, racial discrimination in the United States, and apartheid in South Africa. More importantly, it examines the leadership and resistance models of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Martin Luther King Jr. The dissertation suggests that when the theological ethical enquiry is grounded in the principles of human dignity, justice, and equality, the exercise proclaims hope of liberation for the marginalized in the respective contexts. Further, it employs an ‘ethic of recognition’ as a foundational agenda, uniting various pedadisgogies and praxes against discrimination. This ethic is explored through the philosophical and theological implications of the works of scholars like Judith Butler, James Keenan, Joseph Flipper, Vincent Lloyd, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Albert Nolan, Emmanuel Katongole, Jurgen Moltmann, and John Sunder Boopalan. It argues for a comprehensive theological ethical discourse on caste, emphasizing the need for a moral critique and corrective vision based on virtue ethics and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. To sum up, the dissertation presents a detailed examination of caste discrimination through a theological ethical lens, advocating for a comparative study with racial discrimination to enhance the understanding and develop effective strategies for social change. It underscores the importance of leadership, resistance, and an ethic of recognition in the fight against systemic oppression and inequality. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

This thesis addresses one of the major challenges facing education systems in developing countries: that of how to include all children, particularly those from relatively disadvantaged communities. It looks, in particular, at the example in Nepal of children from the Dalit communities, a group known to be disadvantaged and often marginalized within the formal education system. In particular, the study attempts to investigate the barriers that prevent the educational access, participation and progress of these students at the secondary level. This theme was investigated using an ethnographic approach, which examined people's life experiences and culture in natural settings (within schools and in their communities) using data collected through a series of interviews, and observations. It also involved an analysis of the relevant literature and policy documents. What was found is that the reasons for children from the Dalit community being disadvantaged are many and complex. Broadly, they can be summarized as being, first of all, about the difficulties of implementing national policies, particularly in terms of making resources available and providing effective monitoring, even though these policies are very positive about the inclusion of these children. Secondly, it is about the expectations and attitudes amongst the various Dalit communities as to what they want for their children and young people, which are to do with tradition and culture, life styles and economic circumstances. Thirdly, these two sets of factors together put pressure on the schools, which have to find a way of dealing with the challenge of diversity and various expectations. In this way, this research provides some new understanding of the issues that bear on the education of Dalit children. The knowledge gained through this research has practical implications for stakeholders: policy makers, teachers, and Dalit community members and social workers. It is argued that this would help to foster the improvement of policy initiatives and their effective implementation. It could also help to bring changes in the existing attitudes of teachers and Dalit communities that may have a positive impact on Dalit children's integration into education. Most importantly, it has brought a new way of looking at these issues that can be used to inform public debate. The study illustrates the use of a methodology that might usefully be adopted by researchers carrying out research around similar themes in other developing countries. It might also be the case that the barriers that have been identified in Nepal would represent useful starting points for such research.

Women are central to human development and yet, nowhere around the globe are they treated as equals to men. Although the need to empower them has been widely recognised, equality is not more than a theoretical construct and empowerment remains low, especially for female Dalits (the most disadvantaged social group in India). This study thus seeks to explore the impact of public secondary school education on the empowerment of Dalit women in Andhra Pradesh, India. Twelve female Dalits were interviewed to better comprehend the effects of their educational experiences from their own perspective. Nine indicators for empowerment were used, among them decision making, social and physical mobility, choices surrounding sexuality and self-reported attitude changes. Findings showed a positive effect of education on empowerment, although deeply embedded social and patriarchal thought patterns were challenged only partly. The study suggests that education clearly needs to exceed primary schooling to result in empowerment. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Racial and gender inequality, as well as other forms of discrimination has been a part of the South African, American and Indian histories for a very long time. Even today racial disparity is still very evident in the South African and American societies whilst discrimination based on caste is still prevalent in the Indian society. This is illustrated by continued racial discrimination and the remaining signs of societal segregation. Due to continuing disparities amongst the people, it became necessary to implement affirmative action programmes. Focusing in particular on education and jobs, affirmative action policies require active measures to be taken to ensure that blacks and other minorities enjoy the same opportunities for career advancement and school admissions that had been the nearly exclusive province of whites in SA and the USA, or for the forward castes in India. Affirmative action has been both praised and denounced, as an answer to racial inequality. One of the key issues that arise when affirmative action is discussed is whether or not affirmative action in fact promotes equality and atones for past prejudices. Another concern is whether the current affirmative action policy is the right policy to use. The issues surrounding affirmative action seems to be universal as are the circumstances. Perhaps the most widespread similarity among the programmes in these very different countries has been that group preferences and quotas are almost always discussed. The debate on affirmative action exists because it is a very divisive issue and it affects different groups of people in different ways, and some groups or persons seemingly benefit more from affirmative action than other persons or groups. In addition, it causes people to be classified into groups, and at the same time, strives to break down group barriers. It is an issue that is difficult to resolve because people have varied ideas about how the problems of racial inequality and historical discrimination should be addressed / Jurisprudence / LLD

Racial and gender inequality, as well as other forms of discrimination has been a part of the South African, American and Indian histories for a very long time. Even today racial disparity is still very evident in the South African and American societies whilst discrimination based on caste is still prevalent in the Indian society. This is illustrated by continued racial discrimination and the remaining signs of societal segregation. Due to continuing disparities amongst the people, it became necessary to implement affirmative action programmes. Focusing in particular on education and jobs, affirmative action policies require active measures to be taken to ensure that blacks and other minorities enjoy the same opportunities for career advancement and school admissions that had been the nearly exclusive province of whites in SA and the USA, or for the forward castes in India. Affirmative action has been both praised and denounced, as an answer to racial inequality. One of the key issues that arise when affirmative action is discussed is whether or not affirmative action in fact promotes equality and atones for past prejudices. Another concern is whether the current affirmative action policy is the right policy to use. The issues surrounding affirmative action seems to be universal as are the circumstances. Perhaps the most widespread similarity among the programmes in these very different countries has been that group preferences and quotas are almost always discussed. The debate on affirmative action exists because it is a very divisive issue and it affects different groups of people in different ways, and some groups or persons seemingly benefit more from affirmative action than other persons or groups. In addition, it causes people to be classified into groups, and at the same time, strives to break down group barriers. It is an issue that is difficult to resolve because people have varied ideas about how the problems of racial inequality and historical discrimination should be addressed / Jurisprudence / LLD