Caste and Democratic Politics In India (Anthem South Asian Studies) - Hardcover

"Shah (Jawaharlal Nehru Univ.) has compiled a collection of 16 essays designed to explore the role of caste in Indian democratic politics. In his brief introduction Shah reviews conflicting definitions of caste and the role of caste in Indian elections, decision making, institutional functioning, resource distribution, and change. While three essays were written in 1999, most were published prior to the 1990s. The book is divided into four parts. The first part contains of six largely classical essays written by Ghurye, Dumont, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Lohia, and Ranadive; they attempt to define caste. The next three essays focus on the diffusion of power in India and its impact on caste. The third part examines the role of caste in the political process in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Bihar and the electoral behavior of Dalits in the 1996 and 1998 parliamentary elections. The final two essays examine the politics of caste reservation and the role of anticaste movements. Although the collections offers little that is new to specialists, it could serve as a useful undergraduate reader. It is unfortunate that the editor has not included more recent studies. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates."--S. A. Kochanek, emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus in CHOICE

The Indian constitution seeks to prevent the perpetuation of caste and build a casteless social system. But in over half a century since Indian independence, this has not been achieved and does not seem likely in the near future. Therefore, no understanding of Indian politics is possible without a thorough understanding of the complexities of the caste system. The aim of this four-part book is to bring about such an understanding. It begins by examining the various meanings attached to the notion of caste. The essay and book extracts in this first section include classic writings on caste such as those by G S Ghurye, Louis Dumont, Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar. The second part consists of essays that demonstrate the relationship between caste and power. The third part comprises material that investigates caste and various Indian political practices on the ground. The fourth, on caste and social transformation, includes discussion on one of the most salient topics in contemporary Indian politics, namely, the issue of reservations for socially backward castes.