REVISITING THE CASTE–CLASS DEBATE K.L. Sharma

This book brings together ten essays on caste written by the author over more than five decades. The essays examine the changing nature of caste in post-Independence India and analyse how democracy, adult franchise, elections, land reforms, urbanisation, migration, and state-led egalitarian measures have transformed caste system and social hierarchies. Caste can no longer be understood solely as a rigid cultural system. Structural changes in economy, politics, education, and mobility have reshaped caste identities and relations. While some traditionally dominant groups have experienced decline, certain sections of historically deprived communities have achieved upward mobility and acquired new forms of power and influence.
The book explores the close relationship between caste and class, showing how each shapes and overlaps with the other. It highlights the weakening of older institutions, such as jajmani relations, and the emergence of new hierarchies beyond the traditional pure–impure framework, and the growing importance of individuals and families in processes of social mobility and status enhancement.
Rejecting the view of caste as a static and unchanging system, the essays emphasise on discontinuities, contradictions, flexibility, and transformation in Indian society. The volume reconceptualises caste, inequality, equality, and social mobility based on multiple perspectives and historical experiences. By revisiting the caste–class debate in contemporary India, this book offers a fresh framework for understanding caste as a dynamic social and political phenomenon rather than merely a traditional system.