Rajni Kothari Caste In Indian Politics 15.pdf -

This is a counter-intuitive point in the article. Kothari argues that by entering politics, caste actually lost its religious/ritual significance and became secular.

For those interested in exploring Kothari's work in greater depth, "Caste in Indian Politics" is available for download in PDF format from various online sources, including the Internet Archive (archive.org) and Google Books (books.google.com).

Kothari posits that far from fading under democracy, caste has been politicized while politics has been caste-ized . He introduces the concept of the “caste association” (such as the Kshatriya Sabha, Yadav Mahasabha) – a modern, horizontally organized caste group that transcends local jati divisions to function as a pressure group and vote bank in electoral politics.

Kothari noted the rise of caste associations (e.g., Kshatriya Mahasabha, Nadar Mahajana Sangam) that functioned like interest groups—lobbying for reservations, educational institutions, and political representation. He called these “caste unions” or “caste federations.” Page 15 often includes the observation that these associations adopt modern methods: pamphlets, conferences, electoral pacts, and even candidate selection. Rajni Kothari Caste In Indian Politics 15.pdf

By rejecting the simple narrative of a clash between tradition and modernity, Kothari provided a sophisticated, realistic, and profoundly influential account of how India's ancient social structures have been repurposed to serve the ends of its democratic republic. Caste in Indian Politics remains an indispensable read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities and paradoxes of contemporary India.

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This document is a seminal excerpt or chapter (likely from the 1970 edited volume Caste in Indian Politics ) by Rajni Kothari, one of India’s foremost political scientists. The “15” in the filename may refer to a page range, section number, or institutional archive code. Kothari’s work fundamentally challenged the assumption that caste was a dying, traditional force being replaced by modern democratic politics. Instead, he argued that caste has adapted, intensified, and become a critical instrument of political mobilization. This is a counter-intuitive point in the article

For decades, Western modernization theory predicted that caste would wither away with industrialization, urbanization, and electoral politics. Kothari turned this assumption on its head. He argued that caste had not only survived but had become more politically relevant—not as a ritual hierarchy, but as a democratic pressure group.

– Edited by Kothari. The introductory chapter (sole-authored by Kothari) runs about 30 pages. Page 15 falls roughly in the section titled “The Secularization of Caste.” This is the most likely source for your PDF filename.

Kothari powerfully argued that democracy did not destroy caste; rather, it transformed it. Democracy forced caste to become more egalitarian and competitive, while, in turn, caste "made democracy Indian" by providing it with a familiar and potent organizational base. Kothari posits that far from fading under democracy,

Rajni Kothari's Caste in Indian Politics argues that caste is not a vanishing relic, but a dynamic force that has politicized and integrated into India's modern democratic system. The work highlights how caste has evolved into a tool for political mobilization and representation. For a summary of Kothari's three levels of caste-politics interaction, see Sociology Discussion . Caste in Indian Politics Rajni Kothari | PDF - Scribd

He famously described this process as follows: "By drawing the caste system into its web of organisation, politics finds material for its articulation and moulds it into its own design" .

—Sisson's study of a single district in Rajasthan during the 1960s provides a detailed analysis of how the Congress party built its support base through careful attention to caste configurations. As later scholarship summarized, Sisson analyzed "the development of congress party in one district (Nagar) in Rajasthan in the 1960s in terms of the caste support". The chapter demonstrates how party leaders strategically accommodated different caste factions to maintain electoral dominance.

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