(Books) Caste : Its Twentieth Century Avatar By M. N. Srinivas
Caste : Its Twentieth Century Avatar By M. N. Srinivas
Book Details:
Publisher Penguin
Imprint PENGUIN
Publication Year 2000
ISBN-13 9780140257601
ISBN-10 0140257608
Language English
Edition 1st
Binding Paperback
Number of Pages 312 Pages
Book Summary:
Caste is a kind of social division of people based on their lifestyle, occupation, hierarchical status, notion of purity and many other factors. The caste system in India is one of the primary drivers that divide the society into separate social groups. It has been a subject of numerous studies and also serves as a reference to the study of caste-like divisions outside of India.
Caste: Its Twentieth Century Avatar edited and introduced by the author describes to the reader the influence of the caste system in the current scenario, in which India is on the brink of modernization. The book discusses how the ancient caste system of India, practiced even today, comes in the way of the country's progress.
The book goes on to give an account of the role of women in keeping the caste system alive in the present day, the correlation between caste and the Indian economy and its effect on Hinduism. It also gives the reader an understanding of the backward classes’ movements and struggle for power in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It also touches upon the topic of efficiency versus job reservation, caste systems existing among Indian Christians and Muslims, and critiques relating to the Mandal Commission Report and its subsequent judgement.