Inequitable Structures: Class and Caste in Indian Higher Education

Abstract

In India, university students from scheduled castes (SCs) face a number of challenges that not only prevent them from graduating but also prevent them from being strong performers in universities and upon graduation. Utilizing the framework of social capital, this article draws upon life histories, secondary interviews, and document analysis to understand the lived realities of four male Indian adolescents from different SCs who are in their third year of university studies. Although the findings support the notion that overt acts of discrimination based on a student’s caste are negligible, lower caste students have limited access to the networks that create social capital. Moreover, institutional efforts to develop or enhance student social capital are minimal. For these reasons, the article concludes that systemic reform is necessary to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome less obvious forms of discrimination, so that they might succeed during college and after graduation.