Jackie ASSAYAG - Castes, Democracy and Nationalism

Pouvoirs n°90 - L’Inde - septembre 1999 - p.55-66

The metamorphosis of the caste system in contemporary India. A majority of social groups are only castes in name, although they are still referred to as such in India. Indeed, their identity has undergone a process of redefinition in relation to various criteria, such as hierarchy, purity, pollution, professional specialization, etc. In order to understand the new system of “castes” it is therefore necessary to explore the changing meanings of the term over time. But it is also necessary to study these new forms of organization and of classification/declassification/ reclassification in relation to the development of a democratic system based on the development and recomposition of the middle class, on the political mobilization of groups (wrongly) referred to as “castes”, and on the rise of Hindu nationalism with its fascistic features. Résumé

Référence électonique : Jackie ASSAYAG, "Castes, Democracy and Nationalism", Pouvoirs, revue française d’études constitutionnelles et politiques, n°90, 1999, p.55-66. Consulté le 01-06-2012. URL : http://www.revue-pouvoirs.fr/Castes-Democracy-and-Nationalism.html