The Indian Information Technology Sector: The New Caste Inequality Frontier

My conversations with IT professionals, and Indians I met in social settings, about the current state of \u27caste\u27 in India and in Indian IT sector often went like this:1 \u27Why are we talking about caste in this modern age? Aren\u27t we perpetuating caste distinctions by continuing to talk about it? Isn\u27t it time to get rid of reservations as IT has done? Look at the progress the IT sector has brought to the country! It is merit, pure merit that matters, and not caste or any other background\u27. Such were the assessments, often angry and even dismissive, of many Indians and professionals who work in the IT sector. These vociferous denials notwithstanding, the Indian IT occupational sector has become a new vector of caste inequality. A singular focus on \u27Merit, Pure Merit; assiduously honed in ideology and in practice, has ironically become responsible for reproducing caste structures in IT. How is this merit constructed and practiced in the IT sector:\u27 And how does caste factor into, even if implicitly, the merit constructions? Theoretically guided empirical answers to this set of questions are offered to clarify the broad assertion that Indian IT is the new caste inequality vector. Pure merit in the Indian IT world, simply put, refers to technical skills and qualifications that are earned through a much heralded Horatio Alger model of personal aspiration, initiative, and hard work. It is the opposite of caste-reservation or caste-earmarked2 merit-merit acquired through the constitutionally mandated caste-based social redress and justice programs, popularly referred to as reservation and affirmative action.3 These programs were designed to reduce, and even to eliminate, the vestiges of centuries-long caste-based inequalities. But, how pure is \u27pure merit\u27 after all:\u27 Because, often left unspoken and not examined in the valorized abstract IT merit discourse is, the \u27symbolic4 merit\u27 -the fact that the cultivation and practice of pure-merit is deeply embedded in, supported by, and \u27hidden\u27 behind the social and material privileges of the dominant castes and middle classes. In this sense, symbolically embedded merit is, ironically, not that different after all from reservation merit. But, unlike symbolic merit, reservation or earmarked-merit is foregrounded on minority caste status and authorized by the government, but not culturally accepted in the broader societal context

Deconstructing Discourse within a Discourse: an Inter-Textual Aspect on Blogging

The ability of the participants to perceive situations around them and bring in various resources to reinforce their belief and opinions, illustrates how an individual’s awareness builds up certain ideologies. This study involves a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the comments of various respondents on the issues being discussed in the Yahoo! News articles, using Appraisal as a tool in the analysis. The analysis found, various attitudes through language use. Also, different stances from respondents are used to refute or agree with someone else’s comments by using ‘direct quotations’, ‘direct reference’, ‘unreferenced sources’ as well as ‘hypothetical text’ that respondents obtain from various resources. These devices determine the inter-textual aspect of blogging which contribute to a continuing flow of discussion. This sometimes leads to the agreement or argumentation with the previous respondents and often shapes the individual’s ideology

Ecological Approach in Practice: A Case Study of the Ounce of Prevention Fund

In an attempt to suggest ecologically sensitive program models which are developmentally responsive to the needs of adolescent parents and their children, this paper reviews existing research to identify the critical ecologies in their lives, evaluates existing program models for their ecological sensitivity, and presents a case study of the ecological approach in practice. Drawing from Bronfenbrenner\u27s ecological perspective and typology of systems, the paper identifies family, partner, school, work, health care, neighborhood, poverty, and ethnicity as critical ecological systems in the lives of the adolescent and her child. Many existing program models do not systematically address all of these critical systems. The Ounce of Prevention Fund\u27s multiple layers of partnership model is presented as a realistic and effective approach to providing services that address the critical system needs of adolescent parents and their children