D. Shyam Babu on Caste Census and the Politics of Social Justice in India

The last publicly available nation-wide caste census in India was conducted in 1931. Now, a state-wide caste census has become available from the government of Bihar. Even though we know the Indian state collects data on a variety of markers and indicators, whether socioeconomic or health-related, there seems to be a reluctance when it comes to collecting data on caste. 

What is the reason for this? What are the complexities involved in capturing caste in India? How should we think about the categorization and sub-categorization of caste? What will the politics of caste look like going forward? What are the ways in which a caste census can be conducted more efficiently? What are the different aspects of the politics of social justice in India? What have been the successes and failures of social justice in India?

In this episode of Interpreting India, D. Shyam Babu joins Suyash Rai to discuss these questions and more.

Episode Contributors

D. Shyam Babu is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. His current research interests include socioeconomic mobility among Dalits, liberalization and social justice, and the role of entrepreneurship in mobility. He has also collaborated with Devesh Kapur and Chandra Bhan Prasad to conduct socioeconomic surveys to map social change and its linkages with public policies and entrepreneurship among Dalits. Their 2014 co-authored book, Defying the Odds, has received critical acclaim.

Suyash Rai is a deputy director and fellow at Carnegie India. His research focuses on the political economy of economic reforms and the performance of public institutions in India. His current research looks at the financial sector, the fiscal system, and the infrastructure sector.

Additional Readings

Mandal’s Original Sin, Surveyed by D. Shyam Babu

Rethinking Inequality: Dalits in Uttar Pradesh in the Market Reform Era by Devesh Kapur, Chandra Bhan Prasad, Lant Pritchett, and D. Shyam Babu

Defying the Odds: The Rise of Dalit Entrepreneurs by Devesh Kapur, D. Shyam Babu, and Chandra Bhan Prasad 

Reimagining Merit in India: Cognition and Affirmative Action by D. Shyam Babu, Chandra Bhan Prasad, and Devesh Kapur

Dalits in the New Millennium by Sudha Pai, D. Shyam Babu, and Rahul Verma

Key Moments

(00:00); Introduction

(01:47); Chapter 1: Why Was There Hesitance in Conducting Caste Census?

(10:43); Chapter 2: The Complexity of Caste and Its Relationship With the State

(15:45); Chapter 3: Potential Purposes of Caste Census

(20:49); Chapter 4: Scope of Improvement in Politics of Caste Census

(23:29); Chapter 5: Ways to Mitigate the Negative Consequences of Caste

(30:13); Chapter 6: Public System and Caste 

(35:35); Chapter 7: Consequences and Limitations of Economy on Social System

(42:18); Chapter 8: Caste Issues and Public

(44:28); Chapter 9: The Making of Citizens: Social Identity and Community 

(52:08); Chapter 10: Structural Incompetence of Caste on Social System

(54:16); Chapter 11: Cultural Determinism and Nationalism

(57:24); Chapter 12: Social Justice in Relation to Caste

(58:25); Chapter 13: Recommended Books 

(59:10); Outro

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