As long as inequalities prevail in any society based upon caste, class, creed, gender, religion or region, the welfare state is bound to adopt the policy of affirmative action, a very controversial, complex and sensitive issue, in one way or other. It is supposed to promote equity, social justice and economic mobility. However, some opponents of AA argue that it only enhances already existing cleavages, polarization and enmity prevailing in society, posing great risk to political stability. It gives vent to the fear based upon broad statements made by various political parties and media in order to exaggerate ‘perceived polarization.’
Often, such polarization leads to distrust, hostility, sabotage and violence from time to time, as noticed in South Africa or Brazil, United States, India or Sri Lanka. In modern times we find differences not only confined to political parties’ ideologies but also to ordinary people. Often, we find the ordinary people disdaining the ‘other.’ If someone disagrees with them, they take it as a personal assault. Resort to Affirmative Action always results in gainers and losers and those who lose do not shy away from knocking the doors of the court in a democracy. Courts find it extremely hard to reconcile between ‘group rights based on identity’ and ‘right to equality’ granted on individual basis.
This panel welcomes paper proposals on the role of affirmative action in socio-economic mobility, role of judiciary in endorsing AA or curtailing it in view of political expediency, role of autocratic tendencies behind incorporating caste or race-based AA in order to reap political benefits, role of AA in enhancing polarization or containing it in given society, need to resolve dilemmas around ‘equity and justice’, ‘access and efficiency’, ‘constitutional principles and ground realities’, etc. There can be case studies dealing with a singular polity or papers based on comparative analysis of two or more countries dealing with philosophical, historical, geographical, legal, technological, economic, practical, political and empirical concerns.