PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Caste, Religion & Ethnicity
Explain how caste as a social category is also becoming a political category in the democratic politics of India.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
Rk} caste as social institution (birth, ritual rank, hierarchy) → democracy changes its function → it becomes a category of political bargaining R2 Kothari's frame → democracy works through society, not outside it → politics reshapes caste
Body flow
Srinivas: caste dynamic, not frozen → the dominant caste is already political → adult franchise turns numbers into votes → Kothari: secularisation (ritual purity → reservations, jobs, tickets, power) + integration (castes fuse and split) + secular consciousness (aware of numbers) → politicisation of caste → Rudolphs: caste associations & federations as vehicle (candidates, policy, excluded voters) = modernisation of tradition → caste-based parties institutionalise → Yadav's democratic upsurge + Jaffrelot's silent revolution → OBCs and Dalits enter power
Counter-view
Béteille: untouchability abolished, caste not → caste survives in public policy → politicisation cuts both ways
Conclusion routes
Rr! caste from hierarchy to negotiation → acategory of politics, not only of society R2 a“democracy of castes” → representation widened, but justice needs more than caste arithmetic
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
