Contested Hierarchies Persisting Influence Caste And Power In Twentyfirst Century India Surinder S Jodhka Editor by Surinder S. Jodhka (editor), James Manor (editor), Jeffrey Witsoe, John Harriss, Anirudh Krishna, Suryakant Waghmore, Hugo Gorringe, G. Carswell, G. De Neve, J. Heyer, Amit Thorat, Dayabati Roy, David Mosse, Badri Narayan, Indrajit Roy, David Picherit 9789386689603, 938668960X instant download after payment.

The dominant public discourse attributes the continued significance of caste in India's public life to the reservation policy or to its electoral politics, with caste being viewed as a convenient mode of securing a stable vote bank. Contested Hierarchies, Persisting Influence shows, however, that caste survives beyond the arenas of electoral politics and quotas. Caste-based divisions continue to matter not only in the village, but also in modern-day urban life, business, institutions of higher education, and many other spheres of contemporary social practice. Arguing against the grain that reduces caste merely to the ritual sphere or to the religious beliefs of the Hindus, the chapters in this book, written by some of the leading scholars of Indian society and based on hard empirical evidence, present complex dynamics of its interplay with electoral politics, its change and persistence, and its continued significance in various regional and historical contexts.

The rich ethnographic studies and empirical analyses show how caste survives as a resource of social and cultural capital, and as a relationship that always signifies power, hierarchy and inequality. Capturing key variations between regions, not only in caste interactions but also in the very character of 'caste' itself, the authors maintain that caste possesses materiality that is, it influences and determines people's access to nourishment, shelter, property, and personal and financial security.

This book provides a rounded assessment of the subject that will acquaint readers with the complexities of caste practices in twenty-first century India and with important trends, both encouraging and dispiriting. This important volume will interest students and scholars of sociology, social anthropology, political science, development studies and public policy.