Dalit mellom kaste og demokrati

Abstract

Dalit between caste and democracyAlthough Dalit activism has gained momentum in India's democratic politics, the problems of untouchability and poverty shape the reality of nearly two hundred millions Dalits, formerly known as «untouchables.»The contradiction between democracy and caste is central for Dalit identity and politics. The article describes the Dalit situation, the traditional caste system and points out possibilities for democratic mobilisation. The Dalit party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, is a spectacular example; it succeeds electorally by partly overcoming divisions in the traditional caste structure.However, the Dalit situation reveals how caste and democracy refl ect separate ideological systems with its own logics of inclusion and exclusion. For instance, while caste is addressed through bureaucracy, hierarchy appears transformed from relation to essence qua identity. The point is made with reference to Dumont's interpretation of hierarchy, caste and modern ideology. The article connects to his anti-Weberian approach and his use of Tönnies. The proposition is that the hierarchical logic of individualism resurrects mentalities of caste in the process of including groups like the Dalits.