The linguistic origin of the term Dalit is Marathi, and pre-dates the militant-intellectual Dalit Panthers movement of the 1970s. It was not in popular use till

Once known as "Pariahs," Dalits are primarily descendants of unfree agrarian laborers. They belong to India's most subordinated castes, face overwhelming povert

Offers a lucid introduction to postcolonial studies, one of the most important strands in recent literary theory and cultural studies.

"Identifies and examines various trajectories of exclusion at both macro and micro levels in India"--