DIVIDING DALITS: Writings on Sub-Categorisation of Scheduled Castes

Caste as a category has played an important role in the analysis of Indian politics. While in the socio-political realm it has remained for long 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 is the first-ever attempt to trace this turning-point that marks a shift in the collective consciousness of Dalits in India. It provides a comprehensive overview of issues regarding the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes that have emerged and widely debated in popular media and academic discourses over a decade or so. Recognising the complexity and sensitivity of the issues, the book departs from conventional academic and institutionalised writing and is designed to strike a balance between guarded political commentary and critical analysis of the heterogeneous voices that have surfaced. Orientation of individual authors may vary but the coherence that emerged from different viewpoints presents a reasonable understanding of an important topic.