Segregation

noun (uncountable and countable)

/ˌseɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən/

The enforced or socially maintained separation of groups — by race, caste, religion, or gender — in public spaces, institutions, or residential areas, perpetuating inequality by denying equal access to resources and civic life. In India, caste-based segregation historically manifested as untouchability: separate wells, temples, seating in schools, and residential cheri localities for Dalit communities. Article 17 abolishes untouchability and thus formally outlaws caste-based segregation, though sociological studies (e.g., by Thorat and colleagues) document its persistence in rural housing and village infrastructure.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Sociological surveys in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan consistently document residential segregation of Dalit hamlets from main villages, with separate cremation grounds, water sources, and road access points, revealing that Article 17's legal abolition of untouchability has not translated into spatial integration.

Synonyms

separationapartheidghettoisationpartitionexclusionisolation

Antonyms

integrationdesegregationinclusionmixingunification

🌱 Word Family

segregate (verb), segregated (adjective), desegregate (verb), desegregation (noun), segregationist (noun)

🔡 Root

Latin segregare = to separate from the flock (se- = apart + grex/gregis = flock, herd); -ation = process/state

📜 Etymology

From Latin segregatio, from segregare (to separate from the herd). The biological and agricultural sense — separating one animal from the flock — was primary. The social and political sense — state-mandated separation of racial or caste groups — became the dominant usage from the late 19th century through the US Jim Crow system and South African apartheid, making it a globally recognised term for institutionalised discrimination.

🧠 Memory Hook

SEGR-egation: grex = flock. To segregate is to pull one sheep out of the flock and pen it separately. Picture a shepherd dragging a black sheep away from the white flock and placing it in a separate enclosure — that enforced separation is segregation.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Mains 2023 · GS1 · 15 marks — Indian Society

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Segregation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Dalit Rights & SC/ST Atrocities Act — ...

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