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Social Movements Struggle Against Caste

ICSE · Class 11 · History

Complete topic list for Social Movements Struggle Against Caste in ICSE Class 11 History. Key concepts, sub-topics, and what to focus on for board exams.

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4 Topics · ICSE Class 11 History

Topics in Social Movements Struggle Against Caste

1

2.1 Struggles Against Caste

  • India's social reform movements were driven by individual efforts of remarkable personalities across different regions.
  • Mahatma Jyotirau Phule (born 1827 in Poona) was the pioneer reformer of Maharashtra who championed the cause of women and the downtrodden.
  • In 1851, Phule started a girls' school at Poona, which became the centre of the female education movement.
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2.2 The Women's Question – Abolition of Sati Rites

  • Sati was the practice of burning Hindu widows alive on the funeral pyre of their dead husbands – a deeply cruel and inhuman practice.
  • Even during the Mughal period, rulers like Muhammad Bin Tughluq, Akbar, and Jahangir tried to check the practice of Sati.
  • Sikh Guru Amardas, Ahalya Bai (Maratha chieftainess), and the Peshwas had also prohibited Sati within their territories before British intervention.
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2.2 Widow Remarriage Act, 1856

  • The problem of widow remarriage in Hindu society became a major social issue in 19th century India.
  • Raja Rajballabh of Dacca tried to introduce widow remarriage but failed due to opposition from Raja Krishna Chandra of Nadia.
  • Raja Rammohan Roy had sympathy for widows but did not take concrete action for their remarriage.
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2.2 Female Infanticide Prevention Act, 1870

  • Female infanticide was the practice of killing female infants, driven primarily by the burden of dowry and preference for male children.
  • In Orissa and Eastern Bengal, children were sometimes offered to the Ganga river as a religious vow by childless couples who later had children.
  • Murder of female infants was common among high-ranking Rajput clans like Chauhans, Surajbansis, and Bhadauriyas.

Key Concepts

Social movements organized to challengeSati was the practice of burningThe practice of forbidding widow remarriageFemale infanticide was practiced in BengalChild marriage was a widespread practice

Frequently Asked Questions

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Content is aligned to the official syllabus. Refer to the board website for the latest curriculum.

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