Caste, society and politics in India from the eighteenth century to the modern age

Introduction 1. Historical origins of a 'caste society' 2. The 'Brahman Raj': kings and service people, c. 1700-1830 3. Western 'Orientalists and the Colonial perception of caste' 4. Caste and the modern nation: incubus or essence 5. The everyday experience of caste in Colonial India 6. Caste debate and the emergence of Gandhian Nationalism 7. State policy and 'reservations': the politicization of caste-based social welfare goals 8. Caste in the everyday life of Independent India 9. 'Caste wars' and the mandate of violence Conclusion.