Quest Journals
Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science
Volume 10 ~ Issue 7 (2022) pp: 69-84
ISSN(Online):2321-9467
www.questjournals.org
*Corresponding Author: AneesaManzoor 69 | Page
Research Paper
Social Exclusion: A Sociological Study of Dal Dwellers
AneesaManzoor, PhD Scholar, Institute of Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir, J&K.
Dr. Salima Jan, Director, Educational Multimedia Research Centre, University of Kashmir, J&K.
Dr Bilal A. Bhat, Faculty, Centre for Social Justice, Institute of Management and Public Administration,
Govt. of J&K, Main Campus, Srinagar, J&K. Email: bilalccas@gmail.com.
Abstract: Dal dwellers are one of the most disadvantaged communities in Kashmir. They have been excluded
from the wider society and deprived of basic equipment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate social
exclusion and multiple deprivations in the community. This paper shows that social exclusion affects multiple
disadvantages, both of which together have a negative impact on the community. Through interviews and
analytical documents, this study shows that social exclusion results from language, caste, marriage, poverty,
and fundamental discrimination that exclude communities from mainstream societies. Education-based
exclusion is alleged to limit people's income, social networks, access the labor market, and leave them with a
life of deprivation.
Key Words: Social Exclusion, Dal dwellers, Education, Occupation, Kashmir.
Received 25 June, 2022; Revised 05 July, 2022; Accepted 07 July, 2022 © The author(s) 2022.
Published with open access at www.questjournals.org
I. Introduction
Social exclusion is a relatively new concept that emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm in European
poverty research. This is a broader and more dynamic concept than what is expressed in the traditional
understanding of poverty. Amartya Sen (2000) points out that the Frenchman René Lenoir (1974) is believed to
be the actual inventor of this concept. In other words, it is a French invention related to "Les exclus", which
refers to people who passed through the social safety net in the 1970s. For example, disabled people with social
support, single parents, unemployed. Later, as social problems worsened in the suburbs of the French
metropolitan area, the definition was expanded to include disgruntled young people and isolated people.
Therefore, social exclusion is inextricably linked to the French tradition in which "social density" is considered
essential for maintaining social cohesion in society.
The term also dates back to the French sociologist Emile Durkheim (1964). The author understood
social exclusion in connection with and against the issue of solidarity and social cohesion in society (Larsen,
2004). However, the German sociologist Max Weber is commonly associated with the concept of social
exclusion. Max Weber (1968) used the term "social closure" for a group of people who are actively trying to
maintain or secure privileged status at the expense of another group (Bak, 2018).
Social exclusion has emerged as a term for processes that cause disadvantages. It is often associated
with the notions of stigma; vulnerability and exclusion, as it is due to lack of choice and sociability, and these
phenomena are often associated with the collapse of social cohesion (Taket et al. 2009). Social exclusion can
occur in different places and spaces and refers to the alienation or deprivation of certain people in society. Often
it has to do with a person's social class, education level, standard of living, and how these affect access to
different opportunities. Anyone who deviates from the norms of the population in a perceived way can be a
victim of a terrible or subtle form of social exclusion. Social exclusion is a unique interaction of factors that
only deprives individuals or groups of participation in the social and political life of the community and reduces
their material and immaterial quality of life but also modest living opportunities, choices and diminished
citizenship. Excluded people are not "like other poor people". They are also at a disadvantage depending on who
they are and where they live and are therefore excluded from the benefits of development (Mani, 2013).
Broadly speaking, social exclusion is the inability to participate in the social life aspects that people value and