Chapter 5: Understanding Marginalisation
1. Meaning of Marginalisation
• To be marginalised means being pushed to the edges of society and not
included in the main group.
• Marginalised people have less access to education, healthcare, jobs,
and resources.
• They often face discrimination and feel powerless in front of dominant
groups.
2. Adivasis and Marginalisation
• Adivasi means ‘original inhabitants’.
• They live in close relation with forests and nature.
• About 8% of India’s population are Adivasis.
• Found mainly in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and North-
Eastern states.
• They follow tribal religions and worship nature, ancestors, and village
spirits.
3. Stereotypes About Adivasis
• Often shown only as dancers or backward people.
• In reality, they have rich culture, traditions, and deep forest
knowledge.
• Stereotyping leads to discrimination and neglect.
4. Adivasis and Development
• Adivasis lost land due to mining, dams, industries, and forest clearing.
• They were displaced and forced to migrate to cities for low-paying
work.
• This caused poverty, malnutrition, and low literacy among them.
• 45% of rural tribals and 35% of urban tribals live below the poverty
line.
• Displacement also means loss of culture, traditions, and community
life.
5. Minorities and Marginalisation
• A minority is a community smaller in number or having less power
and resources.
• The Constitution provides safeguards to protect their culture,
language, and religion.
• Safeguards prevent majority domination and ensure equality and
justice for all.
6. Muslims and Marginalisation
• Muslims form 14.2% of India’s population.
• The Sachar Committee (2005) studied their condition and found:
o Lower literacy rate (57%)
o Low representation in jobs (very few in IAS, IPS, banks, etc.)
o Less access to housing, water, and electricity
• Muslims often face prejudice and discrimination.
• Many live in ghettoes (areas where one community lives together for
safety).
7. Link Between Economic and Social Marginalisation
• Economic problems (like poverty, lack of jobs) cause social exclusion.
• Social discrimination makes economic progress harder.
• Both are connected and affect each other.
8. Constitutional Safeguards
• The Indian Constitution guarantees:
o Right to Equality (Article 14–18)
o Right to Freedom of Religion (Article 25–28)
o Protection of culture and language of minorities
• These rights ensure equal opportunities and justice for all communities.
9. Conclusion
• Marginalisation causes disadvantage, discrimination, and
powerlessness.
• Adivasis, Muslims, Dalits, and women are among the marginalised
groups.
• They have struggled for equality and rights.
• Everyone must help build an equal and just society.
Q/A
Q.1 Write in your own words two or more sentences of what you understand by
the word ‘marginalization’.
Ans. ‘Marginalization’ is a social process by which certain sections of the
society are confined to lower social standing. It results to certain minority (such
as Muslims) or Dalits (Particularly among the Hindus) in having a low social
status and not having equal access to education and other resources.
Q.2. List the two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized.
Ans. Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized because:
i. They are radically different from communities organized around the principle
of jati-varna (castes).
ii. Their way of life is quite different from the majority of people. They wear
colourful costumes, strange type of head gears and have different cultures. They
like to like in seclusion.
Q.3. You are participating in a debate where you have to provide reasons to
support the following statement:
‘Muslims are a marginalized community’. Using the data provided in this
chapter, list two reasons that you would give.
Ans. Muslims are marginalized community because:
i. 63.6% of the Muslims live in Kuccha houses.
On the other hand, the people of majority, i.e, the Hindus live in 55.2% in
Kuccha houses.
ii. Only 30% of Muslims have access to electricity while 43.2% of the Hindus
have access to it.
iii. Piped water is second basic amenity (after pure air) for everyone. But only
19.4% of Muslims have access to piped water. On the other hand, 25.3% of
Hindus have access to it.
iv. Literacy rates by religion wise are lowest for the Muslims according to 2001
survey.
Q.4. Imagine that you are watching the Republic Day parade on TV with a
friend and she remarks. “Look at these tribals. They look so exotic. And they
seem to be dancing all the time.”
List three things that you would tell her about the lives of Adivasis in India.
Ans.
i. Adivasis led excluded life in different hilly and forest areas of India till middle
of the nineteenth century or the dawn of British imperialism in India.
ii. Adivasis are not a homogeneous population. There are over 500 different
Adivasi groups in our country. They are particularly numerous in states like
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, and in the north-eastern states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
iii. Adivasis practice ancestor worship and believes in all types of supernatural
spirits like the primitive men.
Q.5. Would you agree with the statement that economic marginalization and
social marginalization are interlinked? Why?
Ans. The different reports about the marginalization point out that economic and
social marginalization are interlinked.
i. In terms of occupation, houses, piped water, Muslims lag behind many other
religious groups.
ii. Most of the Muslims work in unorganized sector and have lower living
standards than Hindus as a whole. Because of lack of education, they find it
difficult to get both public as well as private sector jobs.
iii. Since they are economically backward, they fail to attain a higher status in
Indian society. Thus, economic and social marginalizations are interdependent.
