Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics

Ayan Guha, Ph.D is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi. He is also currently associated with the York Centre for Asian Research, York University, Toronto as an External Research Associate. He has published extensively on caste and dalit politics.

"Through meticulous research and balanced analysis, this book critically examines Bengal's claim to caste exceptionalism. It is the most analytically sound and theoretically grounded book on the subject that I have read in recent years. Everyone interested in the sociology and politics of caste in Bengal must read it."—Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, Emeritus Professor of History, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand"This book is an important contribution to the burgeoning literature on caste in contemporary West Bengal, a state long considered as 'exceptional' for being caste-blind and not having an overtly castebrutal society. The book will remain a valuable testimony of a time when dalit politics is torn between callings of radical autonomy and conquests of Hindutva hegemony."—Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya, Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India"Ayan Guha has written an important and insightful book elucidating the complex trajectories of caste practice, politics and consciousness in West Bengal. Compelling reading for those interested in caste, representation and politics in India."—Hugo Gorringe, Senior Lecturer of Sociology and Co-director, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

• AcknowledgementsList of Tables1 Introduction Setting the Agenda of Analysis1 Posing the Problem: West Bengal’s Exceptionalism2 Contemporary Critiques of West Bengal’s Exceptionalism3 Research Rationale4 Thematic Outline and Approach2 Caste and Nature of Political Mobilization Emerging Trends1 Rise of the Matua Factor2  bjp’s Matua Outreach: A New Relationship3 ‘Politics of Memory’ and Political Narrative4 Contextualising Dalit Mobilisation in West Bengal5 Interplay of Memory and Politics at the Grassroots3 Analysing Patterns of Political Representation Continuity or Change1 Explaining ‘Rise of Caste’ Hypothesis2 Two Concepts of Representation: A Brief Theoretical Exploration3 Mapping Trends of Political Representation in West Bengal4 Decoding Political Outlook towards Representation4 Caste and Politics of Numbers Delving Deep into Demography1 Demographic Fragmentation of Caste Groups2 Geographic Concentration of Caste Groups3 Demography and Political Aggregation of Caste Interests5 Material Basis of Caste Putting Political Economy into Perspective1 Caste and Economic Aspects of Identity Politics2 Caste Identity and Patterns of Landholding3 Caste and Relative Deprivation4 Land and Agrarian Politics5 Other Economic Indicators6 Economic Development and Politics of Caste Coalition6 Micro-politics in Rural Society Social Imagination, Political Culture and Economic Reality at the Grassroots1 Existing Findings about Micro-Dynamics of Caste in West Bengal: An Overview2 A Note on Methodology3 Geography and Demography of the Village under Study4 Caste and Class: Converging, Diverging and Intersecting Identities5 Cultural Dynamics of Caste6 Locating Caste in Politics at the Grassroots7 Summing Up7 Unmasking Political Culture Workings of Cultural Dynamics in Mainstream Politics1 Bhadralok: Decoding the Sociological Category2 Emergence and Evolution of the Bhadralok3 From Culture to Politics: Tracing the Roots of Bhadralok Hegemony4 Dynamics of a Discourse: Political Culture in Operation5 Break from Past: Towards a ‘Critical Juncture’?8 Conclusion Summing UpBibliographyIndex