Caste in and out of place: State, market, and culture

Caste permeates the state, the economy, and culture posing administrative, political, and legal conundrums many of which are addressed in a well-ordered manner. Nevertheless, caste is rarely treated as an independent policy issue in India. In a neo-Macaulayan vein, and following the leads of Gurcharan Das and Satish Saberwal, this chapter argues that for the state to remain strong and autonomous, it should not be reduced to caste arithmetic. In order not to underwrite caste in perpetuity, reservation policies should be periodically adjusted with a view to foster the “self-development of individuals as reasonable persons” capable of dealing with the complexities of India’s megasociety. At the same time, public policy must acknowledge that caste is part of the chemistry of society. Castes are vast resilient networks offering economic life chances and cultural life worlds. International advocacy networks, as well as statistically informed sociological analysis, can inform policy to provide more opportunities for social mobility at less costs in the form of resentment and inefficiency. Finally, the chapter discusses what a policy addressing excessive caste pride and prejudice may entail