CBSE Notes Class 10 Political Science Chapter 3 –
Democracy and Diversity
A Story from Mexico Olympics
During the Medal Ceremony of the 200 metres race, which was
held in the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City, two African-American athletes, Tommie
Smith and John Carlos, raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US
national anthem. They won the gold and bronze medals, respectively. With this
gesture, they tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination in
the United States. The black-gloved and raised clenched fists were meant to
symbolise Black Power. The pictures shown below depict an important
landmark in the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Differences, Similarities, Divisions
The story from the Mexico Olympics shows an example of
social divisions and social inequalities. But in society, there are other forms
of social divisions that exist. As you have learned in the previous 2 chapters,
regional, linguistic and religious differences have created social divisions.
Origins of Social Differences
The social differences are mostly based on the accident of
birth. For example, people around us are male or female; they are tall and
short, have different kinds of complexions, or have different physical
abilities or disabilities. But some of the differences are based on our
choices. For example, some people are atheists, i.e., they don’t believe in God
or any religion. In contrast, some people believe in God. There are various
other choices, such as choosing what to study, which occupation to take up and which
games or cultural activities to take part in.
Social differences divide similar people from one another,
but they also unite very different people. People belonging to different social
groups share differences and similarities, cutting across the boundaries of
their groups.
Overlapping and Cross-Cutting Differences
Social differences imply a state where people are
discriminated against, or one class/group is given preference over the other
due to the difference in their social, economic or racial inequality.
Overlapping and cross-cutting are the two types of social differences.
When one kind of social difference becomes more important
than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different
communities, this is known as overlapping differences. It results
in social division and disintegration. For Eg, in India, Dalits face
this type of discrimination as they belong to poor families.
If social differences cross-cut one another, it means that
groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be on different
sides on a different issue. For example, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands
both were predominantly Christian but divided between Catholics and
Protestants.
Politics of Social Divisions
The combination of politics and social divisions is very
dangerous and explosive. Democracy involves competition among various political
parties. If they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions, it
can make social divisions into political divisions and lead to conflict,
violence or even the disintegration of a country.
What can be the range of outcomes of politics of social
divisions?
In Northern Ireland, the difference between the two major
sectors of Christianity. i.e., 53% of Protestants and 44% of Roman Catholics
took the form of politics. The Catholics were represented by Nationalist
parties who demanded that Northern Ireland be unified with the Republic of
Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country. The Protestants were represented by
Unionists who wanted to remain with the UK, which is predominantly Protestant.
Later on, it took a drastic form which ended by taking the lives of hundreds of
people.
In Yugoslavia, political competition along religious ending
ethnic lines led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent
countries. At the same time, every expression of social divisions in politics
does not lead to such disasters. But, it affects voting in most countries,
especially in India.
Three Determinants
3 Factors are crucial in deciding the outcome of the
politics of social divisions:
- The
outcome depends on how people perceive their identities. If people see
their identities in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very
difficult to solve.
- It
depends on how political leaders raise the demands of any community. It is
easier to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional framework
and are not at the cost of another community.
- It
depends on how the government reacts to the demands of different groups.
In a democracy, the political expression of social divisions
is very normal and can be healthy. This allows various disadvantaged and
marginal social groups to express their grievances and get the government to
attend to them.
