CRITICAL SITES OF INCLUSION IN INDIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the often-overlooked practices and policies surrounding the rhetoric of ‘inclusion’ in higher education, offering both theoretical and empirical perspectives. It critically examines the complexities of education policies in a multicultural society, focusing on the challenges to the notion of ‘inclusion’, as revealed through judicial interventions, policy frameworks, and the lived experiences of individuals.

In a country like India, where deep social inequalities exist, higher education plays a crucial role in empowerment, particularly for marginalized communities. Access to higher education is seen as a gateway to economic opportunities and vertical mobility, making inclusion a central concern. The book also addresses the ongoing tensions in India’s higher education sector, where academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas face unprecedented challenges, putting the very idea of inclusion at risk. The contributions in this volume explore how inclusion is being negotiated within the higher education system, with a focus on issues such as language, gender, minority rights, and the experience of the LGBTQIA+ community in academic spaces.