article
The Izhavas of Kerala and their historic struggle for acceptance in the Hindu society
Journal of Asian and African studies • 11 (1-2) • Published In 1976 • Pages: 25-46
By: Pullapilly, Cyriac K..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The Izhavas (or Thiyas) are the demographically largest of all previously "untouchable" caste groups in Kerala. This article focuses on the political struggle of members of this caste to improve their wellbeing, mostly through the civil activism of a communal organization. Important markers of its success include the construction of twelve colleges, several dozen high schools and elementary schools, several hospitals, and hundreds of village meeting halls. The organization also sponsored banks, credit unions, cooperatives, and small-scale industries for the benefit of the community. Part of this success is attributable to the Izhavas' unwavering support of the Communist Party, which has been instrumental in improving social services and the economic condition of poor, lower-caste families.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Castes
- Political movements
- Pressure politics
- Elections
- Political parties
- Research and development
- Education system
- Students
- Educational theory and methods
- Labor supply and employment
- Citizenship
- Prophets and ascetics
- Congregations
- Avoidance and taboo
- Inter-community relations
- Status, role, and prestige
- Real property
- Cultural identity and pride
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Kerala
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2017
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- South Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Historian
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem ; 2016
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1971
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1903-1976
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Kerala, India
- NotesAdditional notes
- Cyriac K. Pullapilly
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 75001539
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Kerala (India)