How Egalitarian are Indian undergraduates? A narrative thematic analysis of perceived equality

Abstract

Liberal arts are widely recognized to be more critical, reflexive and emancipatory, and so do its students, whereas technical knowledge caters only to the demands of the market, thus blinding itself to graver social concerns, such as equality and justice. Taking into account that liberal arts students possess greater ‘sociological/narrative imagination’ to look into these issues, this paper tries to understand the perception of equality among the Social Science and the Engineering undergraduate students across four academic institutions in north India. Broadly, focusing on their views on equality and exploring the role of disciplinary background in shaping the idea of equality. Narrative analysis of students’ in-depth interviews suggests significant difference in conceptualization of equality depending upon students’ disciplinary background and college location.