Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
Year : 2018, Volume : 9, Issue : 1
First page : ( 11) Last page : ( 16)
Print ISSN : 0975-6795. Online ISSN : 2321-5828.
Article DOI : 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00003.7

Communities and Social Capital: A Study of the Educational Development of the Muslims in Kerala and Gujarat

Haneefa Muhammed A.P.*

PhD Research Scholar, Centre for the Study of Social System, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067

*Corresponding Author Email: mudh.haneefa@gmail.com

Online published on 24 May, 2018.

Abstract

This paper offers an overview of the development of educational institutionsunder the ownership and control of Muslim organizationsin Kerala and Gujarat. The development of such educational institutions shows that if networks and resources are properly used, community organisationscan act collectively for achieving various common objectives. After discussing the ‘within’ and ‘outside’ factors related to Muslim educational backwardness in India, the paper argues that Muslims in both these states established educational institutions mainly because of the ‘exclusionary’ nature of the prevalenteducational system implemented by the state and other communities. The formation of socio-cultural organizations under the banner of religion and the establishment of educational institutions under such organizations helped the community to acttogether against the long-standing discrimination prevailing in the field of education. However, one flip side of such educational institutions is that separate religious and caste-based educational institutions for each community could further increase cultural polarization and ‘academic ghettoization. Students will go through one of their most influential life stages without ever having had the chance to make friends with peers from other religions, castes, and communities, leading to the formation of ‘exclusive friendship circles’ based on one's own religious and caste identities, whichwould further entrench communal stereotypes, ghettoisation, and feelings of insularity.

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Keywords

Social Capital, Education, Gujarat, Kerala, Community Education.

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