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VOL. 2, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Dalit assertion and digital activism in contemporary India: From street politics to networked forms of social resistance
Authors
Dr. Dheeraj Pratap Mitra
Abstract
This paper examines
the transformation of Dalit assertion in contemporary India by analyzing the
shift from street-based political mobilization to digitally mediated forms of
social resistance. Drawing on sociological theories of caste, social movements and
the public sphere, the study conceptualizes digital activism as an extension of
historical anti-caste struggles rather than a rupture from earlier modes of
resistance. It argues that digital platforms have emerged as alternative arenas
of political expression where Dalit activists, intellectuals and youth
articulate counter-narratives reclaim marginalized histories and assert
collective identity in response to persistent caste-based exclusion. This paper
critically explores how social media, online journals and audio-visual
platforms facilitate visibility trans-local solidarity and knowledge production
while simultaneously reproducing inequalities through the digital divide,
algorithmic marginalization, online caste discrimination and surveillance. By tracing
the historical evolution of Dalit movements from print culture and street
protests to networked mobilization, this paper highlights both continuities and
ruptures in leadership, participation and repertoires of contention. The
analysis further demonstrates that while digital activism enables symbolic
resistance and discursive intervention, its capacity to effect material social
change remains constrained without sustained offline mobilization and
institutional engagement. Situating Dalit digital activism within broader
debates on neoliberalism, media power and platform capitalism, the paper
contributes to the sociology of caste by revealing how caste adapts to and is
contested within digital spaces. This paper concludes by emphasizing the hybrid
nature of contemporary Dalit resistance wherein street politics and networked
activism operate in a mutually reinforcing relationship reshaping the public
sphere while remaining embedded in enduring structures of inequality.
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Pages:261-265
How to cite this article:
Dr. Dheeraj Pratap Mitra "Dalit assertion and digital activism in contemporary India: From street politics to networked forms of social resistance". International Journal of Applied Review
, Vol 2, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 261-265
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