Prejudice and Predisposition: Social Discrimination on the Campuses

Description

Drawing on four decades of academic experience, this powerful and meticulously researched book offers an unflinching examination of caste-based discrimination in recruitment, admissions and everyday academic life within Indian universities. Written by a distinguished life scientist, who has spent a lifetime navigating the complexities of higher education, it combines rigorous empirical analysis with compelling personal narratives. The author exposes the subtle yet systematic barriers that continue to shape opportunities, institutional cultures, and scholarly trajectories, often in ways that remain invisible to those outside the system. At once analytical and deeply humane, the book demonstrates how notions of merit, excellence, and fairness are compromised when social hierarchies permeate academic spaces. It also highlights the courage and resilience of those who persist despite structural odds. An essential and timely work, the book challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths and to rethink the future of equitable higher education in India.

Raosaheb K Kale is an eminent scientist who taught at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He is a recipient of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Award (1990) in recognition of his original contributions to research in Radiation and Cancer Biology. During his tenure at JNU, her served in several key administrative roles, including Chief Proctor, Dean of Students, and Dean of the School of Life Sciences. He has also held prominent leadership positions such as Chairman of the Board of Management at Indira Gandhi delhi Technical University for Women and the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi. Prof. Kale has been associated with numerous universities and academic institutions in India and abroad and played a pivotal role in establishing a Central University of Gujarat as its first Vice-Chancellor. He is the author of Indian Higher Education: A Perspective from the Margin (Aakar Books) and co-editor of Mapping Identity-Induced Marginalisation in India (Springer).