Dalit Politics in India and New Meaning of Caste

Abstract

This article focuses on the rise of Dalit political mobilisation in India and analyses the meanings of caste that emanate through the writings of some contemporary Dalit activists. It is argued that most of the influential anthropological interpretations of caste have had in common a tendency to treat caste first and foremost as a static phenomenon of ‘traditional’ India, and hence that these are insufficient in order to understand caste in India today. Caste has become increasingly important in Indian politics and in the process the meaning of caste has changed radically. It is argued that only a historical and structural perspective is capable of capturing the many manifestations of caste practices and ideologies over time.