Author Description

Caste, as a category, has played an important role in the analysis of Indian politics. While in the socio-political realm it has long remained a very crucial source of collective identity, in the contemporary discourse, when India is transforming itself into a modern society, it is the sub-caste that has acquired supremacy over the broader category of caste in Indian politics. This volume traces the shift in the collective consciousness of India's Dalits, a marginalized group in Indian society. The book provides a comprehensive overview of issues regarding the sub-categorization of the scheduled castes that have emerged and which are widely debated in popular media and academic discourses. Recognizing the complexity and sensitivity of the issues, the book is designed to strike a balance between guarded political commentary and critical analysis of the heterogeneous voices that have surfaced. The orientation of individual contributors may vary, but the coherence that emerged from different viewpoints presents a reasonable understanding of an important topic.