Inequity manifests in different forms in different contexts--it could be based on income disparity, gender, and class, and impact different aspects of society. Social Movements II: Concerns of Equity and Security, part of the Oxford in India Readings in Sociology and Social Anthropology series, examines the phenomenon of social movements in India with respect to the concerns of equity and security as two forces behind contemporary social movements. The issue of equity is concerned not only with income and class but is also related to ideas of development and distributive justice for peasantry and labour. It is also the focus of groups such as women and the youth, which occasion protests and mobilizations. Moreover, in the current scenario, booming economies, soaring populations, and choices of development strategies have a bearing on the rise of social movements related to ecology and the environment. This reader brings together a selection of essays that explore the various dimensions of equity, and also covers issues of environmental and ecological security. These are imperative in situating related social movements in the wider context.

This reader will be useful for students and scholars of sociology, anthropology, social history, Indian politics, and those studying Indian society and social movements in particular.