Speaker: Prof. K. L. Sharma
Chairperson, IDSJ
(Formerly Professor of Sociology and Pro-Vice Chancellor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Currently Pro-Chancellor of Jaipur National University, Jaipur)

October 5, 2020

2 pm to 3.00 pm

Webinar Link:  https://meet.google.com/bhv-sjas-bix

Abstract of the Presentation

The ground reality deviates far from the perceived theories of caste and class in rural India.  A holistic view of rural India is analysed in the context of caste, migration and social mobility from a theoretical perceptive.  The village social structure comprising peasants, artisans, wavers and others have undergone substantial transformation over the years, especially since the market integration phase in the early 1990s. The role of education in reshaping the social life, perception and culture in rural India have also been subjected to reshaping. Conventional conceptualisation and understanding of caste as an institution and a system, caste mobility, caste – class polarity and country-town divide have also demanded a redefining. It is argued that caste as a system has ceased to exist, but caste persists discretely as a non-systemic means of appropriation for political and social ends.