Society, fragmentation and emancipation

Contemporary society is marked by extreme differentiation, rationalization and commodification. This means that although there is no end to misery – and vast poverty, high mortality and morbidity rates, unemployment or irregular employment, alienation, dissatisfaction with political processes, pollution and shortages of various types are the obvious indicators of this – people are divided on multiple bases regarding the identification of causes of misery as well as regarding the possible solutions. The four varna, local caste or two class models of society are no more adequate to depict social reality although each of them has an element of truth in it. There is a close association between varna and class. The hold of caste institution is still strong at the grassroots level in several parts of the country. There is a clear cleavage between the owners of means of production and the masses. The collapse of four varna, local caste or two class models of society leads to new forms of differences and protests. Feminist groups assert that end of capitalism has not proved to be a matter of liberation for them and the patriarchal, patrilocal institutions have continued even after socialist revolutions. There has to be a new feminist consciousness and a new feminist mobilization cutting across class and party lines. In a way this presents the image of a society ridden with cross-cutting conflicts: one who is your friend on one front is your enemy on other fronts. Then in this context what would the emancipation mean?