The complete alienation of Dalits from resources like land, water, and agricultural implements has led to the collective demand for an equal share in productivity. This book discusses the range of socio-economic and cultural problems faced by the Dalit community. The movement advancing the rights of Dalits took place both before and after independence, however they varied in intensity, and concerned land ownership and fair wages, self-respect, social dignity, and the demand for equal rights. This movement appeared to have significantly changed the very mindset and attitude of upper caste people to restrain themselves and not to resort to any discrimination or humiliation of Dalits. However, this seems to have been only a temporary phenomenon, and the practice of suppression and humiliation continues today. This book explores the circumstances of Dalits in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and the current efforts attempting to achieve more social equality for the caste here.

Social exclusion has several dimensions. It exists in various spheres and in many forms. Race and caste have however dominated the discourse on social exclusion. In its simplest understanding, social exclusion is lack of access to resources and consequent inability to utilize them. It is further accentuated by denial of opportunities which enhance access to resources and their utilization. It can, therefore be experienced by anyone who is in a position which is vulnerable to such impeding conditions. Thus, besides caste and race, religion, age, gender, social position and occupational hierarchy-are all potentially volatile to social exclusion. Stratification of human populations occurs at various levels and in many forms. It has a reflection of power dynamics which exist between people and also between population groups. This drives some caste and religious groups to be more advantaged as against others, The young and the elderly population are likely to be less equipped as compared to the adults in the sphere of work. The elders may be the dominating persons within the household;

Globalization has given the world opportunities to bring people together in ways previously undreamt of in both real and virtual worlds. However, it has privileged industrialized capitalist growth and initiated a series of environmental, financial, demographic and political crises. The poorest people on the planet have been most adversely affected, through loss of jobs, low-paid work that is insufficient to provide a decent standard of living, health hazards, rising food and energy prices, environmental degradation, armed conflict and resource depletion. In this context, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which had looked to a more prosperous future for the planet’s most disadvantaged people only a few years ago are unlikely to be met across the board. And the challenges of environmental degradation question the very relevance of the MDG targets in contemporary societies.