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