Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of Contributors; 1. Introduction: Caste and Democratic Politics; PART 1 THE MEANING OF CASTE: Introduction; 2. Features of the Caste System; 3. Heriarchy: The Theory of the 'Varna'; 4. Caste Must Go On; 5. Caste in India; 6. Ran-Manohar Lohhia on Caste in Indian Politics; 7. Caste; Class and Property Relations; PART II THE DIFFUSION OF POWER: Introduction, 8. The Transformation of Authority in Rural India; 9. Caste and Class: Social Reality and Political Representations; 10. Federating for Political Interests: The Kshatriyas of Gukarat; PART III CASTE AND POLITICAL PROCESSES: Introduction; 11. Pragmatic Progressives in Regional Politics: The Case of Devraj Urs; 12. The BJP and Backward Castes in Gujarat; 13. New Phase in Backward Caste Politics in Bihar, 1990-2000; Dalit Assertion Through Electoral Politics; PART IV CASTE AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION: Introduction; 15. Social Backwardness and the Politics of Reservations; 16. The Anti-Caste Movement and the Discourse of Power; Appendix to Chapter 16, Notes; Select Bibliography

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Argues that no understanding of Indian politics is possible without a thorough understanding of the complexities of the caste system.

About the Author

Ghanshyam Shah is Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has edited and written numerous books and essays on the subject of class, caste and politics in India.