This edited book offers insights into the social inequalities that plague India and are often hidden behind terms like ‘law and order’ and ‘constitutional democracy’. Though the market-driven economy was once expected to radically transform the heavily hierarchical Indian society into a more egalitarian order, the society remains unequal despite almost three decades of liberalization. Therefore, the liberal rhetoric of a democratic order and the free market guaranteeing social justice needs to be reappraised. Social Hegemony in Contemporary India demonstrates how socially privileged sections after acquiring and consolidating power at an alarming rate are now even more dominant over the lives of common Indians than at any time after 1947. Consequently, many communities—like Dalits and other neglected minorities—have been disempowered and pushed to the margins. Any resistance to the dominant social order and its status quo is punished through ostracization and violence. The mission for social justice, therefore, needs a fresh approach and actionable change from those who aspire for a truly liberated India, unshackled from inequity and bias. Contents: Acknowledgement R. Thirunavukkarasu Introduction—Caste and Inequality: Mapping the New Normalcy T. K. Oommen Societal Complexity and Sources of Inequality: Situating India Section A – Social Hegemony and the Market Amiya Kumar Das Interrogating Dalit Capitalism in the Neoliberal Era: Illusion or Reality Tanweer Fazal ‘Migrant’, ‘Home’ and Politics: Bihari Labour in the Metropolis Section B – Social Hegemony and Politics R. Thirunavukkarasu Illiberal State and the Myth of a Civil Society Shaileshkumar Darokar Deconstructing the Practice of Manual Scavenging: Critical Insights Section C – Social Hegemony, Media and Culture Karthick Ram Manoharan Understanding the Ideological Nature of Caste violence in Tamil Nadu: Particularism and Universalism Archana Singh Deconstructing the Language of Hegemony C. Jerome Samraj Revitalizing Caste Hierarchies through State, Law and Order, and Judiciary P. Ramajayam Identity, Representation and Reservation: Dravidian Politics towards Muslims Manoj Kumar Jena Caste, Ideology and Hegemony in Indian Media: A Critical Inquiry Index