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India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North Inda
Since the 1960s a new assertiveness has characterized India's formerly silent majority, the lower castes that comprise more than two-thirds of the population. Today India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, is controlled by lower-caste politicians, as is Bihar, and lower-caste representation in national politics is growing inexorably. Jaffrelot argues that this trend constitutes a genuine "democratization" of India and that the social and economic effects of this "silent revolution" are bound to multiply in the years to come.
500 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2015
This books gives perspective of Indian history in relation to social political transformation of lower caste. A must read book for anyone who wants to understand how politics have transformed in last one century, how elite caste was able to hold political power after independence, how lower caste including OBC and SC ST are moving towards a political Revolution in India. Book also unfold and provide for rational discussion of North Indian politics.how and why north India lagged behind in terms of including new group in the political system.How north India remained the prisoner of sanskritization while south India was able to mobile themselves.
Book is written from academic point of view, having lots of data point to strengthen authors thesis. It has covered many lower caste leaders of Indian politics from jyotiba Phule to Kashi ram, Lalu Yadav and Mayawati. It has analysed vote bank, candidature, MPs,MLAs , workers of all major political parties in different general elections. Overall book is a good read which is written after a thorough research and provide a good account of lower caste political revolution.
Book is written from academic point of view, having lots of data point to strengthen authors thesis. It has covered many lower caste leaders of Indian politics from jyotiba Phule to Kashi ram, Lalu Yadav and Mayawati. It has analysed vote bank, candidature, MPs,MLAs , workers of all major political parties in different general elections. Overall book is a good read which is written after a thorough research and provide a good account of lower caste political revolution.
August 30, 2017
Great book.
It provides a lot of insights about the rise of multi-party competition in Indian politics (after the end of the Congress' hegemony in the 60s-70s), and how the different parties had to organize themselves to accommodate the increasing assertiveness of the "depressed classes" (Dalits) and the "Backward Classes" (low castes). This is backed with a lot of statistics which makes the author's argument reliable.
We also dive, in this book, into what made the low castes' rise in political consciousness possible. The author presents in detail the lives of the different Dalit and low caste political leaders (Ambedkar, Lohia), who, to overcome the inherent "gradual inequality" that the caste system has created, have appealed to a Dalit or "low caste" identity, to allow these groups to join hands and ask for their due share of power. The perpetual conflict between the upper castes and the lower castes on the political scene is also well represented.
This book is mostly about the Hindi belt (North India), probably because the lower castes in the South had less difficulties in asserting themselves politically.
It is sometimes a little bit long to read because of all the statistics, but these are essential to back the author's point. A must read for anyone interested in India politics and in low castes' rise to power.
It provides a lot of insights about the rise of multi-party competition in Indian politics (after the end of the Congress' hegemony in the 60s-70s), and how the different parties had to organize themselves to accommodate the increasing assertiveness of the "depressed classes" (Dalits) and the "Backward Classes" (low castes). This is backed with a lot of statistics which makes the author's argument reliable.
We also dive, in this book, into what made the low castes' rise in political consciousness possible. The author presents in detail the lives of the different Dalit and low caste political leaders (Ambedkar, Lohia), who, to overcome the inherent "gradual inequality" that the caste system has created, have appealed to a Dalit or "low caste" identity, to allow these groups to join hands and ask for their due share of power. The perpetual conflict between the upper castes and the lower castes on the political scene is also well represented.
This book is mostly about the Hindi belt (North India), probably because the lower castes in the South had less difficulties in asserting themselves politically.
It is sometimes a little bit long to read because of all the statistics, but these are essential to back the author's point. A must read for anyone interested in India politics and in low castes' rise to power.
May 16, 2019
A very dense and dry book examining the rise of lower castes to political power in India over the course of the 20th century. A whole lot of facts and figures, tables, and statistics here, which is rather difficult to absorb if you don't already have a lot of background knowledge about Indian history and the various states and castes and etc. There also isn't a whole lot in the way of deeper analysis or explanation about the caste system, or what the impact of lower caste entry into political offices had on society overall. Still, there was enough interesting analysis and reviews of the data that made this a decent read.
October 31, 2015
Extraordinary documentation of ground realities of Indian politics since independence.How churning in Indian society has driven politics and vice versa is beautifully explained in this book with all the relevant facts and figures which are meticulously researched.Caste is a reality in India and this books does justice to explain its importance in politics and society at large.Must read for someone who desires to understand contemporary India...
February 7, 2017
Excellent primer on rising OBC and Dalit political influence in North India. While the book is a little short on how exactly this change happened and what the on-ground implications are/could be, it succeeds excellently at explaining that strategies that parties and individuals attempted to respond to and take advantage of these changes.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews