ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with the relationship between literature and politics in the context of Dalit literature. Typically, most theorizations – despite their radical tenor – flow from a somewhat deterministic perspective in which the 'politics of literature' is not appreciated on its own terms. Surely, Dalit literature must be more than a 'catalyst' for Dalit politics. It is the task of theory to find out the points of convergence as well as divergence between Dalit literature and Dalit politics. An analysis of such a relationship must recognize the politics of literature at the level of language and literary content. Dalit literature is, thus, involved in cultural politics, which reconstitutes the terms of cultural and political discourse in India. The act of 'representation' in Dalit literature achieves its 'politicality' by showing the systematic prejudices of the social order. It opens up new fields of visibility by bringing them into the public domain.
