Major caste matters

Caste and politics in rural Bihar

Bibliographic Data

ID3865533
AuthorsGaurang R Sahay (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume43
Issue3
Pages411-441
Publication date2009-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueContributions to Indian Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0069-9659 • E-ISSN: 0069-9667
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/006996670904300303
OpenAlexW2146084484
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited18

M.N. Srinivas described rural India as characterised by the presence of locally influential 'dominant castes'. This article is an empirical engagement with the concept of 'dominant caste' in the context of electoral politics in a district of Bihar. An analysis of the patterns of caste interactions in this region shows that there is no settled 'dominant caste'. Numerical as well as economic and political strength is shared between several castes. Not only do the major castes compete and manoeuvre for power, even the minor castes challenge the major castes' attempts at establishing dominance, by approaching the courts and, in the case of disputes, making strategic alliances with one major caste in order to oppose another. This article examines the dynamics of these shifting caste responses and alliances in order to illustrate the fluidity of caste equations in contemporary Bihar. It also highlights the role of state institutions such as the police and the courts, but most significantly, electoral representation itself, as an instrument for fostering social change and political dynamism

Caste · Context (archaeology · Development economics · Dominance (genetics · Dynamism · Economic geography · Economics · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Cinema and Culture · South Asian Studies and Conflicts

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