I am going to start off this blog so hopefully this is the type of post we are supposed to be writing.
Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-09/first-caste-count-in-80-years-as-modern-politics-revive-ancient-traditions.html
This is one of many articles about the decision, after 80 years, to conduct a survey of castes in India after the nation’s census. The ancient caste system is still strong in small communities, where 72% of the population live. This plan was supported by underprivileged communities because there are affirmative action policies that benefit the historically marginalized groups. The opposition is that the survey will increase social conflict, and will reinforce the role of caste status. A political said that “caste is a reality” and with 3,743 castes, it is a very complex social system that is a part of the political reality.
This story, which was one of 200+ other news hits on Google on the topic, was interesting to me because the caste system, more a socoal issue but impacts politics, is something that feels very foreign to Americans (and possible uncomfortable for people to talk about). Many of the issues here reminded me of issues in our recent census. Similar to our census, the ones advocating a survey claimed it would help to ensure the assistance for underprivileged groups. Here is Chicago, I heard advertising encouraging participation in the census so that the community can get the full amount of benefits from the national government. There are also parallels in the benefits or deficits to including race, and how we label them, in our census. In a modernized country, the US or India, where the movement and inter-relations between diverse groups of people, when will these classifications cease to be relevant, or measurable.
-Rebecca Dill
On another note, this is an upcoming, India related event in Chicago:
http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/chicago_council_event_corporate_detail.php?eventid=2265
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ReplyDeleteHi, Rebecca:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. While growing up in India and visiting there few years ago, I noticed that the caste system is still active in India. There are special quotas (seats) in the admissions into colleges, government jobs and more for different castes.
I am posting two links related to the decision of caste count. It represents the views of various political leaders in India:
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/116215/cabinet-meets-to-seal-fate-of-caste-census.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/130620/cabinet-approves-inclusion-of-caste-in-census.html
An important post, Rebecca, on the current relevance of caste in politics and social institutions in India. Historically in India caste appears to have been ascribed to economic classes or the "work" that people did. However it has evolved to include religious, social and cultural aspects. Although discussions about castes in India are as difficult to initiate (about as difficult as talking about race relations in America), it is important to keep in mind that successful political initiatives in India depend on correctly understanding the diversity of castes and sub-caste groups.
ReplyDeleteRon