Syllabus: Paper II > 1.2 Palaeo-anthropological evidences from India > Narmada basin (Narmada Man)
Relevance of Caste in Contemporary Indian Politics — 2016 Paper II
Question · 2016 · Paper II · 10 Marks
Relevance of caste in contemporary Indian politics
Model Answer
VAID ICSApproach
Demand of Question: Show how caste remains politically relevant not because ritual hierarchy is unchanged, but because democratic competition has transformed caste into an organizational resource for representation, reservation, coalition-building and claims-making.
Structuring the Response: Begin with the transformation thesis -> explain mechanisms of political mobilization -> use scholars and examples -> note counter-trends -> conclude that politics reshapes caste as much as caste shapes politics.
Key Dimensions to Cover: Rajni Kothari’s politicization of caste; M.N. Srinivas’s dominant caste; Rudolphs on modernization; reservations/Mandal; caste associations, candidate selection and coalitions; cross-cutting effects of class, gender, religion and urbanization.
Model Answer
Introduction
Caste remains highly relevant to Indian politics, but in a transformed form. Democratic institutions have shifted it from primarily ritual ranking toward a resource for organization, representation and distributive claims.
Body
Political mobilization: Rajni Kothari argued that democracy produces a ‘politicization of caste’: caste associations become electoral networks, parties build social coalitions, and communities negotiate for representation, reservations and public resources. The Mandal phase greatly intensified backward-class political assertion.
Power beyond ritual rank: M.N. Srinivas’s concept of the dominant caste explains why numerical strength, land, education and political organization may matter more electorally than high ritual status. Panchayati Raj and local reservations have similarly enabled new caste groups, including women within them, to enter formal politics.
Transformation, not persistence alone: Caste-based voting is never automatic. Class, welfare, religion, leadership, region, gender and urban experience cross-cut caste identities. Political alliances can also aggregate several jatis into broader categories such as OBC, Dalit or ‘backward’ blocs.
Conclusion
Thus caste is neither disappearing nor simply surviving unchanged. Electoral politics continually reconstructs caste identities, while caste networks continue to shape access to power, representation and state benefits.
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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2016 — Paper II
28 questionsSyllabus: Paper II > 9.3 Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism and ethnic and political movements
Syllabus: Paper II > 9.2 Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development
5(b) Bio-genetic variability of Indian tribes
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 6.1 Tribal situation in India > Bio-genetic variability
Syllabus: Paper II > 4. Emergence, growth and development of anthropology in India > Scholar-administrators and tribal studies
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.1 Evolution of Indian Culture and Civilization > Contributions of the tribal cultures to Indian civilization
1(e) Ethno-archaeological evidences for the survival of hunting-gathering traditions in India
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.3 Ethno-archaeology in India > Survivals and parallels among hunting and foraging communities
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.1 Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.1 Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes > Fifth and Sixth Schedules
Syllabus: Paper II > 6.3 Impact of urbanisation and industrialization on tribal populations
Syllabus: Paper II > 8.1 Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions on tribal societies > Islam
1(d) Impact of Jainism on Indian society
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.4 Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian society > Jainism
Syllabus: Paper II > 5.1 Indian Village > Indian village as a social system
4(c) Compare the contribution of L. P. Vidyarthi and D. N. Majumdar to the study of Indian tribes.
15 Marks
Syllabus: Paper II > 4. Emergence, growth and development of anthropology in India > Contributions of Indian anthropologists
1(b) Linguistic elements in Indian population
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 2. Demographic profile of India > Linguistic elements and their distribution
6(b) Examine the nature of interplay of little and great traditions in the context of globalization.
15 Marks
Syllabus: Paper II > 5.3 Indigenous and exogenous processes of socio-cultural change > Interplay of little and great traditions
1(a) Significance of Mesolithic findings from Belan Valley
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.1 Evolution of Indian Culture and Civilization > Prehistoric > Mesolithic > Belan Valley
Syllabus: Paper II > 9.1 Role of N.G.O.s in tribal development
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.3 Regionalism and demand for autonomy
1(c) Relevance of caste in contemporary Indian politics
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.2 Caste system in India > Caste in contemporary politics
Syllabus: Paper II > 6.3 Development of forest policy and tribals > Forest Rights Act, 2006
4(a) Give a detailed appraisal of skeletal remains from Chalcolithic culture of undivided Punjab.
20 Marks
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.1 Evolution of Indian Culture and Civilization > Neolithic-Chalcolithic > Skeletal evidence
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.2 Caste system in India > Theories of origin of the caste system
Syllabus: Paper II > 2. Demographic profile of India > Ethnic elements > Racial classification and the Negrito question
Syllabus: Paper II > 5.1 Indian Village > Traditional and changing patterns of settlement
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.2 Social change and contemporary tribal societies > Impact of development programmes and welfare measures
5(d) Tribe as a colonial construct
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 6.1 Tribal situation in India > Definition and construction of the category 'tribe'
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.2 Caste system in India > Tribe-caste continuum and Sanskritization