Caste Its Twentieth Century Avatar

As India attempts to modernize and ready itself for the twenty-first century, the issue of caste takes on an overwhelming importance. What form does caste take today? How can its debilitating aspects be countered? This book, edited and introduced by one of India's most eminent sociologists, attempts to answer these and other crucial questions. The essays in this volume, each authored by an expert on the subject, include a stimulating assessment of the role of women in perpetuating caste; incisive analyses of the relationship between caste and the economy, and between caste and Hinduism; a review of the backward class movements in Tamil Nadu; a commentary on the power struggle in UP and Bihar amongst the backward castes; the relationship between efficiency and job reservation; observations on caste amongst Muslims and Christians in India and critiques of the Mandal Commission Report and the Mandal judgement.

This essay on Indian social structure originally formed a chapter in Volume 1 of The Gazetteer of India: Indian Union, published in 1965. It introduces the reader to the caste system, the village community, religious groups, marriage, kinship and inheritance, and changes in society at the time. M.N. Srinivas is the author.

With reference to India; contributed articles.

Intended for public administration professionals, scholars, and students interested in citizen participation. This work brings together analyses of innovative practices, from hands-on community learning and focus groups to high-tech information systems and decision support technologies.

The Indian constitution seeks to prevent the perpetuation of caste and build a casteless social system. But in over half a century since Indian independence, this has not been achieved and does not seem likely in the near future. Therefore, no understanding of Indian politics is possible without a thorough understanding of the complexities of the caste system. The aim of this four-part book is to bring about such an understanding. It begins by examining the various meanings attached to the notion of caste. The essay and book extracts in this first section include classic writings on caste such as those by G S Ghurye, Louis Dumont, Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar. The second part consists of essays that demonstrate the relationship between caste and power. The third part comprises material that investigates caste and various Indian political practices on the ground. The fourth, on caste and social transformation, includes discussion on one of the most salient topics in contemporary Indian politics, namely, the issue of reservations for socially backward castes.

Workplace initiatives to manage diversity seek to fully develop the potential of each employee and turn their unique skills into a business advantage. Such fostering of difference enhances team creativity, innovation and problem-solving and is therefore an essential strategy for today's employers. Individual Diversity and Psychology in Organizations is an indispensable handbook for all those involved in managing diversity. Its academic and practice-oriented perspective is unique as it presents practical strategies and case studies alongside academic reviews, giving the reader a balanced overview of each topic. The team of expert authors examine international issues in diversity, such as: Strategies for managing organizational effectiveness Legal and psychological implications Diversity training and its effectiveness Disability, racial equality, age and gender diversity Affirmative action Recognizing stereotypes and bias Business ethics The Future of diversity This much needed handbook will be welcomed by researchers, academics and students in organizational psychology, management and business. It will also be of great use to professionals in human resources, equal opportunities management and management consultancy.

This is a collection of sociological essays on four main themes in Indian culture: caste, caste profiles, class and conflict.

“What the Communist Manifesto is to the capitalist world, Annihilation of Caste is to India.” —Anand Teltumbde, author of The Persistence of Caste The classic work of Indian Dalit politics, reframed with an extensive introduction by Arundathi Roy B.R. Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste is one of the most important, yet neglected, works of political writing from India. Written in 1936, it is an audacious denunciation of Hinduism and its caste system. Ambedkar – a figure like W.E.B. Du Bois – offers a scholarly critique of Hindu scriptures, scriptures that sanction a rigidly hierarchical and iniquitous social system. The world’s best-known Hindu, Mahatma Gandhi, responded publicly to the provocation. The hatchet was never buried. Arundhati Roy introduces this extensively annotated edition of Annihilation of Caste in “The Doctor and the Saint,” examining the persistence of caste in modern India, and how the conflict between Ambedkar and Gandhi continues to resonate. Roy takes us to the beginning of Gandhi’s political career in South Africa, where his views on race, caste and imperialism were shaped. She tracks Ambedkar’s emergence as a major political figure in the national movement, and shows how his scholarship and intelligence illuminated a political struggle beset by sectarianism and obscurantism. Roy breathes new life into Ambedkar’s anti-caste utopia, and says that without a Dalit revolution, India will continue to be hobbled by systemic inequality.