CAIS main Points

Unit 1 Introduction to Critical Terminology

(i) Social identity: Henri Tajfel
 person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership
 in-group (us) and out-group
 stereotyping
 categorisation
 social identification,
 social comparison.

(ii) Otherness
 dichotomies
 binary opposites
 Compared
 Power, superiority is implicated

(iii) Dominant discourse,

how we think and communicate
create subject positions
turn people into objects that that can be controlled

(iv) Subject position

 discourses and their subject-positions are intimately related
 every individual could be a “subject” of a discourse, but the necessity
remains that individuals have “to locate themselves…in the position from
which the discourse makes most sense

(v) Agency
 Agency refers to the thoughts and actions taken by people that express their
individual power
 Individual and collective agency may serve to reaffirm social order by
reproducing norms and existing social relationships
 or it may serve to challenge and remake social order by going against the
status quo to create new norms

2. Karl Marx:
 directed at social change, historical materialism
 Tools = “instruments of production” or “forces of production”
 organisations that shape how people use their tools are called the “relations
of production
 relations of production + “forces of production” = mode of production.
 5 basic historical developments or changes in the mode of production:
 the primitive community, the slave state, the feudal state, capitalism, and
socialism.
  capitalism = an unequal mode of production,
 “surplus value”: Value added to raw materials
 Capitalist owns even though labour reproduces
 Proletariat: Labour
 Capitalists: Owners
 middle class: merchants, doctors, teachers,
 2 parts of alienation
 alienated labour from the product
 alienated from him or herself.
 mode of production = economic base
 relations between economic base and a particular aspect of superstructure =
ideology
 superstructure generated by an economic base, works to justify that base
 illusions created by ideology into thinking they’re not exploited by the
capitalist system : false consciousness

(iii) Louis Althusser:

 understanding relations between State and subject (between govt & citizens)
 democracy gives the “illusion” that all people are equal and have equal power
 Repressive State Apparatuses: police, and the criminal justice and prison system
 Ideological State Apparatuses: schools, religions, the family, legal systems
 alienation of alienation: Alienate from the harsh reality of Alienating
 “real world = product of our relations to it
 Example: I think I’m cool because I’m not working in a factory, and I think I’m
smarter than factory workers because I assume that factory workers aren’t bright

(iv) Antonio Gramsci: Hegemony, subaltern

 Cultural hegemony: framing the worldview, social and economic structures of
the ruling class as legitimate, and designed for the benefit of all
 Even though these structures may only benefit the ruling class
 exercise authority using the “peaceful” means
 consent achieved through social institutions
 “common sense” fosters the belief that success and social mobility are strictly
the responsibility of the individual,
 Subaltern = Inferior rank - peasants, workers, & groups denied access to
“hegemonic” power

(v) Guy Debord: Society of the Spectacle

 everyday manifestation of capitalist-driven phenomena; advertising,
television, film, and celebrity
 a social relation among people, mediated by image
 media interprets the world for us with the use of simple narratives
 objected the use of perceptual technologies for economic gain (FB,Twitter)
 Being is replaced by having, and having is replaced by appearing.
 conceals the “relations among men and classes
  2 primary forms of the spectacles
 concentrated spectacle = totalitarian regimes, cult of personality, use of force
 diffuse spectacle = wealthy democracies, work harder, buy more.
 relies on fabricating new desires and distractions

Unit 2 Structural Socio-Economic Disparities in India

(i) Imagining India: Preamble to the Constitution;
 Sovereign: own independent authority and it is not a dominion or dependent
state of any other external power
 Socialist: democratic socialism”: both private and public sectors co-exist side
by side
 Secular: all the religions in India get equal respect, protection, and support
from the State
 Democratic: authority from the will of the people expressed in an election.
 Republic: head of the State is elected by the people directly or indirectly,
political sovereignty is vested in the people rather than a monarch
 Justice: 3 forms - social, economic, and political forms, Social justice
Social justice: more equitable society
Economic justice: equitable distribution of wealth
Political justice: equal right in political participation
 Liberty: absence of restraints or domination on the activities of an individual
liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship.
 Equality: absence of privileges or discrimination
3 forms again - social, economic, and political equality
 Fraternity: feeling of brotherhood

In 1976: 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 3 new terms, “Socialist”, “Secular”, and
“Integrity” were added

(i) Fundamental rights;

Part III of the Indian Constitution
 State = Government and Parliament of India
 7 categories of Fundamental rights
1. Right to equality (Articles. 14-18)
2. Right to Freedom (Articles. 19-22)
3. Right Against Exploitation (Articles. 23-24)
4. Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles. 25-28)
5. Cultural and Educational Rights (Art. 29-30)
6. Right to Constitutional remedies (Art 32-35)
7. Right to Education (Article 21A)
(ii) Constitutional Democracy
 Popular sovereignty: people are sovereign, ultimate source of authority.
 Majority rule and minority rights are protected
 Limited government: powers of government are limited by law
 Institutional and procedural limitations on powers
o Separated and shared powers
o Checks and balances: Judicial Review
o Due process of law: Individual rights to life, liberty, and property are
protected
o Leadership succession through elections:

(iii) Democracy versus majoritarianism

 focus our attentions on the fundamental tenets/rights that make a
democracy
 democracy should not be a form of majoritarianism
 democracy cannot be considered an end by itself, but must represent a means
to attain justice.
 what is reasonable is to be tested not on the threshold of majoritarian will, but
on larger, scrupulous standards
 impact of a certain speech is uncertain,

(iv) (ii) Social stratification:

social inequality social rewards like status, power, income, etc
Social stratification is a particular form of social inequality
Stratification - some people come to rank higher than others
divisions of social classes – Stratified society
Members of a particular layer have a common identity
2 major types of stratification - caste and class
Endogamy - marrying within a specific social group (95%?)
social mobility: movement of a person from one position to another within the social
structure (change in social status)
rate of mobility is naturally low – Agriculture and even caste since it is based on birth
Class – open system – few barriers
Gender based stratification – Hijras (3 rd gender)

(v) Sanskritization and westernization

 Sanskritization : people of lower castes collectively try to adopt upper-caste
practices and beliefs (imitation) as a preliminary step to acquire higher status
 Economic betterment is not a necessary pre-condition to sanskritisation
 Westernisation: changes that have taken place in Indian society and culture
due to western contact through the British rule
 introduction of new institutions and also fundamental changes in old
institutions such as schools, the army, civil services, and law courts.
  certain value preferences: humanitarianism
 westernisation accelerates the process of Sanskritization

Caste and Class in India

 not class versus caste
 the most exploited classes in our society constitute the most socially
oppressed castes

(i) Thomas Piketty: crisis of wealth and income inequality in India

 top 10% of the population—has risen from 45% in 1981 to 68% in 2012
 Economic ranking mirrors caste hierarchy: 50% Brahmins, 31% Rajputs,
44% Banias, and 57% Kayasths fall in the richest class. Only 5% STs, 10%
SCs, 16% OBCs, and 17% Muslims are in the richest category
 Wealth heavily concentrated at the top:
o 1% - 30% of the total wealth
o 50% of the total wealth of the top decile
o 50% of the population own 8% of the total wealth
o 40% own 35% of total wealth
 Spending gap is also widening:
o top 10% consume 28–32%
o bottom 50% is around 21%
o middle 40%, the share is around 40%
o top 10%, consumption distribution is more equitable
 Forward castes dominate top 10%
o SC/ ST/ Muslims
More facts
Billionaires: +17 new = 101 Billionaires
Increased Wealth to 20,676 billion
Page 23-24

(ii) Understanding “Structural” Inequality

 3 circumstantial factors to import slaves from Africa
o Africa was closer
o a well-developed slave trade
o American plantations plagued by malaria and yellow fever: genetic
immunity to these diseases compared to Europeans
 genetic superiority translated into social inferiority
 Americas wanted to be seen not only as economically successful but also as
pious, just and objective
 Religious and scientific myths were pressed into service to justify this
division.
 Africans descend from Ham, son of Noah - his offspring would be slaves
 even though the slaves were freed, the racist myths that justified slavery
persisted
  13th Amendment outlawed slavery
 14th Amendment: mandated citizenship and equal protection of the law
could not be denied on the basis of race
 less chance of getting a good education and a well-paid job
 black person must surely be insane to think that he could be admitted to the
University of Mississippi
 Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist secret society killed people for having sex
between races

(iii) Intersectionality:
 refers to such multiple levels of intersecting or overlapping identities
 Ex: black gay woman (Race/gender, sexuality)
 India, in many ways, remains a patriarchal society or a “man’s world
 still a need for a bottom-up analysis of women’s issues
 politically or culturally there is a divergence between cities and small towns.
 Understanding women’s issues at the grassroots level is fundamental to
empowering all women.
 Delhi rape case, Bengaluru’s Brigade Road
 SEBI Rule - fraction of directors of listed companies have to be women
directors.

(iv) Retweeting Brahminical Patriarchy

 Jack Dorsey Smash Brahminical Patriarchy
 Brahminism – not members of Brahmin community Oppressive
community
 inter-connected (intersectionality): gender hierarchy and caste hierarchy
 B.R. Ambedkar definition of Brahminism By Brahmanism I do not mean the
power, privileges, and interests of the Brahmans as a community. By
Brahmanism I mean the negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity. In that sense it is rampant in all classes and is not confined to the
Brahmans alone, though they have been the originators of it.”


(v) The Psychological Costs of Marginalisation

 made to feel less important and less respected
 includes but is not limited to caste, religion, mental health status, physical
ability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, weight,
age, and race.
 long-lasting impact on the mental health of an individual.
 They can feel invisible
 The worst we can do is not notice, or notice and do nothing.
 model intersectionality, intersect to create a complex identity
Unit 3 Commerce and Gender 32 – 52
(i) Women in the Workforce
 Unemployment
o 2011: 3%
o 2015: 5%
o 2018: 7%
 4.3M jobs created every year ( 12M enter workforce)
 As opposed to 79% men, only 27% of Indian women were a part of the
workforce in 2017
 female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) in India declined
o 1993: 34.8%
o 2013: 27%
o May-August 2018: 10%
o 90% of 36M jobs filled by men
 Challenges to women
o Lack of agency: Lack of freedom to make decisions regarding their
education or career
o Occupation segregation: women are educated and skilled in certain
specific sectors like the beauty industry, teaching. Reduced wages hurt
them
o Socio-economic status of the women
 India is losing 235 million employees because of the gap between the male and
female labour force participation rates
 235 Additional workforce would make India 27% richer(IMF) increasing
consumption therefore increase production in economy
 India is a consumer-based economy
 Promoting pay parity & creating a safe environment to increase FLFPR
 calculation by the UK’s Statistics, unpaid household work and childcare was
worth 1 trillion pounds ($1,289 billion) in 2016.

(ii) Inclusive Workplace for PwD and LGBTQ+ Employees

 More than 55% said they still experienced bias at the workplace
 enabling infrastructure, such as separate toilets
o Usage of right pronouns,
o respecting preferred gender identity,
o comfort to use their restroom of choice (if there is no gender-neutral
restroom),
o immediate escalation matrix if any homophobia is experienced,
o and a zero-tolerance policy are very important
o easy accommodation options,
 o insurance coverage for SRS (sex reassignment surgery),
o and same-sex partner benefits.
 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) – Inclusive policies
 “Medica – Training
 25% of employees think their organisation’s management is not committed to
meeting the needs of employees with impairments or disabilities.
 A Nasscom study had found the representation of people with disabilities in the
industry headcount at a paltry 1%.
 D&I has become an initiative or event-based intervention rather than a well-
developed strategy linked to business goals.”
(iii) Gender Discrimination at the Workplace
A pink-collar worker: care-oriented career field - nursing, teaching, child care.
A glass ceiling: invisible barrier that keeps a given demographic from rising beyond a
certain level in a hierarchy.
Glass escalator: men are joining fields that were previously occupied mainly by
women and riding past women
Sticky floors : the pattern that women are, compared to men, less likely to start to climb
the job ladder
Pregnancy discrimination: expectant women are fired, not hired, or otherwise
discriminated against due to their pregnancy or intention to become pregnant
Hourly wages: women are paid 34% less than men
Sexual Harassment:
Gender Identity: Gender transition
Sex Stereotyping:

(iv) A Boys’ Club Culture

the formation of what we call boys’ clubs: those informal social networks of male
friendships.
male spaces like country clubs, golf courses, sports events, and even saunas and strip
clubs,
Boys get more access

(v) Benevolent Sexism

 hostile sexism: antagonism toward women who challenge male power
 benevolent sexism: women are stereotyped as affectionate, delicate, and
sensitive.
 women as weak individuals
 Men stereotypes: independent, ambitious, and competitive
 women stereotypes: nurturing, interdependent, and considerate characteristics,
 women who adhere to these stereotypes, which are rooted in benevolent sexism,
are rewarded with adoration

(vi) Unpaid Labour and the Invisibilisation of Women’s Work

 GDP growth figures and low unemployment rates can prove to be deceptive
 household takes it for granted that upkeep, cooking, cleaning are to be performed
by women
  hours of emotional labour that goes into holding families
 massive portion of the work done by women in India goes unrecognised as
labour4
 often dismissed as a set of daily chores
 with women putting in 352 minutes a day into domestic work while men put in
only 51.8
 49% of women don’t have their work accounted for in the annual GDP
 India on average 66% of women’s work is unpaid
 159.9 million women stated that “household work” was their main occupation
 global value of unpaid domestic labour by women hovers around 13%
 In India 40% of its current GDP
 It brings –
o Recognition,
o holistic understanding of labour,
o women can demand some degree of parity in terms of the time and
energy expended on it
 Aishwarya Jawalgekar statement in PG 44
 double burden: Company earned work + Unpaid domestic labour

(vii) Maternity Leave in India

 The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, has increased the duration of
maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children
 woman has more than two children, the leave is limited to 12 weeks only.4
 adopts: 12 weeks leave
 New mother: WFH
 More than 50 employees: crèche facilities, regular rest interval.
 4 weeks leave (Doctor’s opinion)
 non-discriminatory performance appraisal system
 no woman works during the 6 weeks immediately following the day of her
delivery or her miscarriage.
 No work of arduous nature or work that involves long standing hours.
 claim leave prior to expected delivery (up to 8 weeks)
 Advance Payment
 send another notice with a certificate of delivery.
 remaining payment must be transferred within 48 hours.
 reimburse employers: 15K, 12 months (not finalised)
 Laws governing Maternity leave
 Maternity Benefit Act
 Employees’ State Insurance
 Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955: 12 weeks of maternity
 Factories Act, 1948: 12 weeks of maternity
 Other Key points to be discussed
1. India Needs a Menstrual Leave Policy
2. Why Many Women in Maharashtra’s Beed District have no Wombs
3. Why Workplace Sexual Harassment is about Power
4. Rethinking Consent
5. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act, 2013
6. #MeToo: A Moment of Rupture
7. Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia
8. HIV AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017

(vi) Visual text: Q2P