Ghanshyam Shah is currently Fellow, Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Wassenaar, The Netherlands. During a rich and distinguished career, he has been Director of the Centre for Social Studies, Surat (1976–85 and again from 1991 to 1996); Dr Ambedkar Chair Professor at the National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie (1996–97); and Professor in Social Sciences at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, (1997–2003). Professor Shah has taught in the Department of Public Administration at South Gujarat University; and has been a Visiting Professor at the Department of Political Science at Banaras Hindu University and at the Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, among others. He was awarded the V.K.R.V. Rao prize in Political Science Research in 1979 and 1980, and the University Grants Commission National Award in Political Science in 1998. Ghanshyam Shah has authored, co-authored or edited more than 15 books, including Social Movements and the State (2002), Dalit Identity and Politics (2001) and Public Health and Urban Development: The Study of the Surat Plague (1997).

The book…presents a scientific analysis of 10 social movements including peasant, tribal, dalit, backward class, women, student, industrial workers, middle class, human rights and environment movements in India. Each chapter of the book is followed by a comprehensive bibliography which may be useful for researchers working in the area of social movements. The concluding chapter of the book provides deep insight into the research gaps in the study of social movements…. Various aspects of peasant movements in India have been examined in detail…. The work is perhaps the best reference book for researchers working on the various aspects of social movements in India.

• PrefaceIntroductionPeasant MovementsTribal MovementsDalit MovementsBackward Caste\Class MovementsWomen′s MovementsIndustrial Working Class MovementsStudents MovementsMiddle Class MovementsHuman Rights and Environmental MovementsConclusions and Future ResearchIndex