Caste, society and politics in India from the eighteenth century to the modern age
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Caste, society and politics in India from the eighteenth century to the modern age
（The new Cambridge history of India / general editor, Gordon Johnson, 4 . The evolution of contemporary South Asia ; 3）
Cambridge University Press, 2001
- : pbk
Available at / 11 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 388-412) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The phenomenon of caste has probably aroused more controversy than any other aspect of Indian life and thought. Susan Bayly's cogent and sophisticated analysis explores the emergence of the ideas, experiences and practices which gave rise to the so-called 'caste society' from the pre-colonial period to the end of the twentieth century. Using an historical and anthropological approach, she frames her analysis within the context of India's dynamic economic and social order, interpreting caste not as an essence of Indian culture and civilization, but rather as a contingent and variable response to the changes that occurred in the subcontinent's political landscape through the colonial conquest. The idea of caste in relation to Western and Indian 'orientalist' thought is also explored.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Historical origins of a 'caste society'
- 2. The 'Brahman Raj': kings and service people, c. 1700-1830
- 3. Western 'Orientalists and the Colonial perception of caste'
- 4. Caste and the modern nation: incubus or essence
- 5. The everyday experience of caste in Colonial India
- 6. Caste debate and the emergence of Gandhian Nationalism
- 7. State policy and 'reservations': the politicization of caste-based social welfare goals
- 8. Caste in the everyday life of Independent India
- 9. 'Caste wars' and the mandate of violence
- Conclusion.
by "Nielsen BookData"
