Caste in Question

Identity Or Hierarchy?
1. Auflage 2004
ISBN: 978-0-7619-3324-3
Verlag: SAGE Publications

Buch, Englisch, 255 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 450 g

Reihe: Contributions to Indian Sociology series

This volume offers a new understanding of caste in contemporary India. It argues that the traditional view of caste - as a single hierarchy, with Brahmans at the top and the untouchable castes at the bottom - is no longer valid. Based on fieldwork, the articles in this volume prove that ritual dominance does not determine the nature of caste interactions in any way. From politics to gender to economic interaction, the single, pure hierarchy is constantly being questioned and weakened. Castes that once had the status of shudras are now claiming, on occasions, a position superior to Brahmans and Kshatriyas; agrarian castes - such as Jats, Ahirs and Gujars - are at the political forefront, taking caste identities outside the village; the once passive untouchable castes are now aggressive and militant, and aware of their rights in a democratic society. This exciting collection of original articles demonstrates how caste identity today challenges the outdated notion of a single, all-encompassing hierarchy, within which each caste co-exists peacefully.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gupta, Dipankar

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Kultursoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Soziale Gruppen & Klassen
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziale Ungleichheit, Armut, Rassismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Religionssoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionssoziologie und -psychologie, Spiritualität, Mystik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction - Dipankar Gupta
The Certitudes of Caste: When Identity Trumps Hierarchy
Caste Panchayats and the Policing of Marriage in Haryana - Prem Chowdhry
Enforcing Kinship and Territorial Exogamy
`We (Yadavs) Are a Caste of Politicians' - Lucia Michelutti
Caste and Modern Politics in a North Indian Town
Jains, Caste and Hierarchy in North Gujarat - John E Cort
Hierarchy, Difference and the Caste System - Gaurang R Sahay
A Study of Rural Bihar
Replication or Dissent? Culture and Institutions Among `Untouchable' Scheduled Castes in Karnataka - G K Karanth
Sikhism and the Caste Question - Surinder S Jodhka
Dalits and Their Politics in Contemporary Punjab
Inventing Caste History - Badri Narayan
Dalit Mobilisation and Nationalist Past
`The Bedias are Rajputs' - Anuja Agrawal
Caste Consciousness of a Marginal Community

Über Autor(innen)

Gupta, Dipankar
Dipankar Gupta is Professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University.