ABSTRACT
The key purpose of this study was to examine the dynamics of sociopolitical structures that underpin the inequality and injustices that the Dalit community in Nepal experiences, with a view to determining the institutional reforms required to achieve social justice for this group. The study indicates that hegemonic power relations and recurring patterns of caste discrimination are at the root of inequality and injustice experienced by Dalit in Nepal. Certainly, this research has shown that even though Dalit identity is contested, it has provided a common entity, which has been a useful tool for combating caste-based discrimination. As an empirically informed study of Dalit injustice and the reforms required to address it, it provides material for academicians, policy researchers and practitioners that can enrich their understanding of the complex, multidimensional nature of Dalit injustice and assist them to undertake further specific research on this subject. In its attempt to examine overall inequality and injustice and Dalit struggle for institutional reform, it has, however, not focused in tightly on any one particular area. While this research has focused on the institutional and structural aspects of Dalit inequality and justice, there are several areas that ought to be the focus of future research. Drawing on primary empirical research and a rich analysis of the theoretical literature, I argue that there is no evidence of Dalits' being easily integrated within the hegemonic social structures in the foreseeable future, and dominant groups will continue to, directly and indirectly, exclude Dalit.
