Jati, Varna and Caste
1. Are there Jati’s in India? Yes, there are. What kind of units or entities are they? I do not know; neither does anybody for that matter. It is a…
Read moreThe dominant story about the ‘caste system’
You say: “If ‘caste’ or ‘jati’ has the same status as alumni associations and similar social groups, with their varying practices, it seems we are prepared to say that ‘jati’ has no…
Read moreCaste and Caste system
I would like to pick up the thread on ‘the caste system’ and begin at the beginning. Let us find out what we are discussing about and disagreeing with. Assuming…
Read moreTranslations or Travesty of Traditions? –S.N.Balagangadhara
In one sense, the title of the piece captures the nature of the tasks facing the contemporary generation, whether in India or in the Diaspora. This generation, unlike many from…
Read moreNormative Assumptions, Discriminations, and Caste Discriminations
1. I was invited by some Sadhus from Swami Narayan Temple (BAPS) to visit the temple and have a discussion with them. Because they practice very strict Brahmacharya (eight types…
Read moreYoga, shudras, and women
X says: Yoga practice of self attainment without the help of external deity worship so common in those days of Patanjali as today was restricted to very few as it required…
Read moreVivekananda and Caste Discrimination: theory-ladenness
1. You ask whether or not it was ‘factual’ that a ‘paraiah’ was not allowed on the same street as a Nair or a Brahmin. The evidence we have says…
Read moreUnderstanding and Imagination: A Critical Notice of Halbfass and Inden
[Published in Cultural Dynamics 3 (4): 387–405] Introduction During the last decade or so, a new restlessness has begun to disturb the calm facade of the social scientific academia. As yet, it…
Read moreColonial Consciousness: Burden of Proof
1. The first thing that is really striking involves what I will call the burden of proof. That is, I am being asked to prove that my assertions about corruption…
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