RECONCEPTUALISING CASTE, CLASS AND TRIBE

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: K.L. Sharma

• Language: English

• ISBN: 9788170336952

• Publication Year: 2001

• Pages: 232

• Binding: Hardback

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book

In this volume, Professor K.L. Sharma re-examines the concepts of caste, class, and tribe in light of evolving social situations and shifting criteria of status.

The focus is on the changing ideology of caste and the decline of traditional inter-caste relations in everyday life. Today, socio-cultural alliances are increasingly shaped by political and economic considerations. A new middle class and a small power elite have emerged among weaker sections, challenging entrenched hierarchies and creating fresh patterns of social stratification and mobility—where caste and class intertwine.

On the subject of tribes, Sharma critiques both assimilationist and isolationist approaches, arguing for a nuanced understanding of the ethnicity–class nexus. The rise of a tribal elite and middle class, supported by state intervention and movements against exploitation, signals a transformation in tribal society. Demands for development, identity, and self-respect are now framed not as pleas for compassion, but as rights.

This book urges a reconceptualisation of traditional sociological categories in response to a changing social milieu.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Conceptualisation of Caste-Class Nexus as an Alternative to Caste-Class Dichotomy

3. Rethinking Inter-Caste Relations as the Basis of Social Stratification

4. Caste and Class in the Emergence of Dalit Identity and Movement

5. The Peasant Movement and Caste-Class-Power Nexus in Shekhawati

6. The Question of Identity and Sub-Nationality: A Case of Jharkhand Movement in Bihar

7. Cultural and Ideological Dimensions of Jharkhand Movement in Bihar

8. Social Stratification among Tribes in India

9. Education and the Scheduled Tribes in India: A Sociological Analysis

10. Social Consequences of Economic Development in Chhotanagpur in Jharkhand

About the Author

K.L. Sharma served as Vice-Chancellor of Jaipur National University and Rajasthan University, and as Rector at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he taught sociology for over three decades. Author and editor of 25 books and over 90 papers, he was a five-time Visiting Professor at Collège de France, Paris, between 1991 and 2005. In 2002, he received the UGC Swami Pranavanand Saraswati Award for contributions to sociology. His works include Social Stratification and Change in BRIC Countries (2013).