Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Social Philosophy Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026
Syllabus for Social Philosophy
The University sets this paper under Minor only, so your college may not run it.
Module 1: Family and Gender Issues
- 1 Perspectives on family & marriage: (i) Plato’s perspective on marriage and family (ii) Bertrand Russell’s perspective on marriage and family.
- 2 Contemporary trends in family and marriage: (i) single parent families, (ii) live – in relationships, (iii) same-sex marriages.
- 3 Gender as a construct: (i) Feminism (Simon de Beauvoir) and (ii) Masculinity.
Module 2: Social Issues
- 1 Economic discrimination: Gandhi’s concept of Trusteeship and Critique of Capitalism.
- 2 Class discrimination: Marx’s Theory of Alienation-Proletariat, Class Conflict
- 3 Caste discrimination: Ambedkar’s view on caste discrimination and Ambedkar’s response to it
Module 3: Equality
- 1 Types of equality: Numerical/Proportional/Formal/Moral
- 2 Dworkin on the primacy of equality
- 3 Gandhi – Sarvodaya (universal welfare)
Module 4: Engaging Diversity
- 1 Philosophical Perspective of Multiculturalism: Bhikkhu Parekh
- 2 Critique of Multiculturalism: Brian Barry
- 3 Orientalism- Post-colonial critique of the European representation of the Orient-Edward
- Said
Reference Books
- M.K. Gandhi. Trusteeship Navjeevan Publication, 1990
- K. Kripalani All men are brothers, Chapter- Poverty in the midst of plenty- Navjeevan Publication 1960 Franz Fanon “The Fact of Blackness” Black Skin White Masks-Grove Press 1967 John Elster, An Introduction to Karl Marx chapter 3 and 7 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels A Manifesto of the Communist Party 1848 https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf
- B.R. Ambedkar “Annihilation of Caste” in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 1. Bombay: Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, 1979
- B.R. Ambedkar “On the way to Goregaon” in The Essential Writings of B.R. Ambedkar ed. Valerian Rodrigues OUP, Oxford: 2002 “Who were the Shudras?” in The Essential Writings of B.R. Ambedkar ed. Valerian Rodrigues OUP, Oxford: 2002 Stephan Goosepath “Equality” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/equality/ 2007 Raymond Plant Modern Political Thought Wiley Blackwell 1991 (chapter on Dworkin) Ronald Dworkin “What is Equality? Part 1: Equality of Welfare” Philosophy & Public Affairs, 10 (3) (Summer, 1981), pp. 185-246 Ronald Dworkin “What is Equality? Part 2: Equality of Resources” Philosophy & Public Affairs, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 283-345
- M.K. Gandhi Autobiography: Story of My Experiments with Truth (relevant discussion on Sarvodaya) Navjivan Publishing House: Ahmedabad 'Hind Swaraj' and Other Writings (Cambridge Texts in Modern Politics) ed. Anthony Parel, CUP: Cambridge 2010 edition) Village Swaraj compiled H.M. Vyas Navjivan Publishing House: Ahmedabad, 1962 Ganesh Prasad “Sarvodaya—A Critical Study” The Indian Journal of Political Science Vol. 21, No. 1 (January—March, 1960), pp. 38-61 Charles Taylor “The Politics of Recognition” in Colin Farrelly (ed) Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader (Sage Publishers, 2004) Bhiku Parekh. “Equality of Difference” in Colin Farrelly (ed) Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader (Sage Publishers, 2004) Brian Barry, “Liberalism and Multiculturalism” in Ethics George Crowder, Theories of Multiculturalism: An Introduction, chapter 3 Bill Ashcroft and Pal Ahluwalia, Edward said (Routledge Critical Thinkers Series) chapter 3. Moustafa Bayoumi and Andrew Rubin (ed.) The Edward Said Reader chapter 4.