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How Egalitarian Are the exclusionary (‘agrahara’) nature of social
science practice in the country. Secondly,
it also provides normative direction to
T
he recent debate involving some in the country. lowing explanations: ‘one has an innate
sensitive scholars in the pages of This essay is divided into four sections. ability to do only theory’, ‘doing theory
EPW has drawn attention to the The first section deals with the justifica- is a part of the natural order’, ‘one is
problems that surround the social science tion of the import of the egalitarian prin- privileged to do only theory because one
discipline in the country. These interven- ciple for critiquing the practice of social has been born from the thinking head
tions cover various dimensions of the social science.2 This would of course include a (import from Manu) of pure bodies’. Third,
science malady. For example, Ramchandra critique of the cultural hierarchies that the egalitarian import therefore basically
Guha underscores absent liberals in the operate through certain academic and interrogates the hierarchical division
social sciences, while Partha Chatterjee institutional structures. In the second which suggests that some are born with
underlines the colonisation of social sci- section an attempt is made to discuss the a theoretical spoon in their mouth and
ence by certain metropolitan centres in the conditions that seem to adversely affect the vast majority with the empirical pot
country. These claims, particularly Guha’s, the growth of reflective capacity within around their neck. The egalitarian prin-
have been contested on nuanced grounds the intellectually deprived groups such as ciple would also interrogate the epistemo-
by scholars [e g, Peter de Souza]. The dalits, tribals and even OBCs. This section logical imperialism that empowers non-
present paper argues that the introduction addresses the question why certain groups dalits/tribals to launch intellectual expe-
of the egalitarian principle into the debate lack this reflective capacity as the primary ditions to conquer newer epistemological
seeks to extend and not undermine Guha’s, condition for doing social science at a territories that belong to the dalit/adivasi
De Souza’s and Chatterjee’s criticisms of more abstract theoretical level. This would intellectual universe. The egalitarian
social science practice in India.1 The include analysis of factors that have a principle would puncture this modernist
principle of egalitarianism, as we shall bearing on reflective capacity. In the third (over)confidence by questioning on moral
spell out in greater detail in the following, section the argument is built around moral ground the competitive element which
becomes relevant in the context where stamina as the necessary condition for renders every field of knowledge as a
the social sciences are divided into doing theory. In the final section, an at- free zone of investigation that can be
inferiorised empirical social sciences and tempt is made to critique the theoretical taken over by anyone who follows the
the privileged abstract social sciences. claims that have been made on behalf of ground rules, procedures and protocols
As 50 years’ experience shows, social dalits by non-dalits. In other words, a that are devised by the gatekeepers of
science practice has harboured a cultural moral critique of the intellectual represen- social sciences. Thus the egalitarian prin-
hierarchy dividing it into the vast, in- tation of dalit issues in social science is ciple undermines the competitive model
ferior mass of academics who pursue attempted. of doing social sciences. It would put
empirical social science and the privileged moral pressure on the modernist to keep
few who are considered the theoretical I off some fields of knowledge that might
pundits with reflective capacity which Egalitarian Principle and get better intellectual treatment from
makes them intellectually superior to the Social Science Practice others. The interrogatory dimension also
former. To use a more familiar analogy, has a bearing on the suggestive dimension
Indian social science represents a perni- It is argued here that the egalitarian of the egalitarian principle. The interro-
cious divide between theoretical brahmins principle provides the moral opportunity gatory character of the principle funda-
and empirical shudras. This pernicious and also the capacity to interrogate the mentally opposes all forms and contexts