Assessing Issues of Caste and Selfhood in Rural Society: Some Reflections

Abstract

Based on a field study of Tandawa village located in east Uttar Pradesh, the article examines the pattern of caste cohesion in a rural society and studies how divisions and hierarchy still surface and remain a reality. This ethnographic study shows that though many socio-cultural traditions are practiced in northern India, some are undergoing subtle changes. The younger generation, especially its leaders, the yuva neta, have been taking initiatives over the last two decades to bring about a change in thinking. This study examines these new changes and challenges, and also tries to explore how these yuva neta have taken some initiatives to resolve internal caste-based hierarchical divisions and social contradictions. Using interviews, oral history, narratives and participant observation techniques, an ethnographic account of a small village has been put together. The research article also revisits a few significant studies to understand the debate on the caste system and how deeply it is entrenched in the day-to-day life of rural India.