Caste and Census: Implications to Society
CASTE AND CENSUS: IMPLICATIONS TO SOCIETY
Dr. Afonso Botelho
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Rosary College of Commerce and Arts, Navelim – Goa
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Abstract:
The proposal to reintroduce caste as a category in the 2011 census sparked off considerable discussion among sociologists, anthropologists and others. This paper attempts to analyze the pros and cons of the idea to reintroduce the variable of caste, a distinctive social institution of India. This objective is achieved by focusing on the process of caste enumeration in colonial India, the subsequent decision to exclude the caste enumeration in censuses and the proposal that had hinted at fresh enumeration. The implications of caste enumeration or excluding such a variable from the census to the society are also discussed.
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Introduction
The proposal to reintroduce caste in the 2001 census was floated in 1998 by the Registrar General of India, almost half a century after the idea had been abandoned. That proposal was later discarded but it sparked off a considerable debate around the subject. A plethora of issues notwithstanding, the sensitive subject of the caste-based census was brought up once again by some prominent political parties at the centre. The demand for the restoration or resumption of a caste based census in 2011 came from none other than some Cabinet members in the present government. However, the process of caste-wise census may not be undertaken now but there have been reports that such an exercise could be underway from June to September 2011.
Rationale
A caste based census refers to introduction of the caste category in the census form, wherein the citizens of India specify their caste, thereby enabling the government to approximate the number of people in each caste. Caste enumeration was carried on from 1871 but only after
Dr. Afonso Botelho
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Rosary College of Commerce and Arts, Navelim – Goa
____________________________________________________________________
Abstract:
The proposal to reintroduce caste as a category in the 2011 census sparked off considerable discussion among sociologists, anthropologists and others. This paper attempts to analyze the pros and cons of the idea to reintroduce the variable of caste, a distinctive social institution of India. This objective is achieved by focusing on the process of caste enumeration in colonial India, the subsequent decision to exclude the caste enumeration in censuses and the proposal that had hinted at fresh enumeration. The implications of caste enumeration or excluding such a variable from the census to the society are also discussed.
_____________________________________________________________________
Introduction
The proposal to reintroduce caste in the 2001 census was floated in 1998 by the Registrar General of India, almost half a century after the idea had been abandoned. That proposal was later discarded but it sparked off a considerable debate around the subject. A plethora of issues notwithstanding, the sensitive subject of the caste-based census was brought up once again by some prominent political parties at the centre. The demand for the restoration or resumption of a caste based census in 2011 came from none other than some Cabinet members in the present government. However, the process of caste-wise census may not be undertaken now but there have been reports that such an exercise could be underway from June to September 2011.
Rationale
A caste based census refers to introduction of the caste category in the census form, wherein the citizens of India specify their caste, thereby enabling the government to approximate the number of people in each caste. Caste enumeration was carried on from 1871 but only after
References: Bhagat, Ram, B. ‘Census and Caste Enumeration: British Legacy and Contemporary Practice in India’, Genus, LXII (2): 119-134. Deshpande, Satish and Nandini Sundar. 1998. ‘Caste and the Census: Implications for Society and the Social Sciences’ Economic and Political Weekly, (August 5), pp. 2157-2159. Deshpande, Satish, 1998. ‘Caste and the Census’, Symposium on Indian Census and Social Reality at XV All India Conference of the ISS, AMU, Aligarh, 17-19. Sundar, Nandini. 2000. ‘Caste as Census Category: Implications to Sociology’, Current Sociology, July 2000, Vol. 48 (3): 111-126 Teltumbde, Anand. 2010. ‘Counting Castes: Advantage the Ruling Castes’, Economic and Political Weekly, (July 10),Vol. XLV (28): 10-11.