Theory of Caste: Material Conditions, Ideas, History

Caste is unarguably the single most studied subject in Sociology of India. Yet there is no theory of caste. The reason for that is the flawed approach to caste taken by mainstream sociology, Subaltern Studies, and Dalit studies following Ambedkar, which study caste as an idea or a system of ideas divorced from material conditions and history. It is argued that for a theory of caste we need a theoretical framework that combines material conditions, ideas, and history. Change in Material conditions results in a corresponding change in structure and ideology of caste. This view of caste is fundamentally different from the prevalent view of caste as persistent from the Rigvedic period of millennia BC until now.