Graduation Year
2018
Date of Submission
4-2018
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Government
Reader 1
William Ascher
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2018 Shambhavi S Sahai
Abstract
With the changing significance of caste and caste identity, this thesis explores the role of affirmative action or "reservations" in Indian higher education. Specifically, it aims to reopen the debate on the dominance of a "creamy layer" among the OBCs in an increasingly nationalist India. Viewing caste through the lens of ethnic identity, this thesis draws comparisons between the identity of OBCs and Scheduled Castes and Tribes, OBCs of the "Hindi Belt" and OBCs of the South, followed by an analysis of the politicization of caste identity today. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of affirmative action today and possible policy avenues that the State must prioritize.
Recommended Citation
Sahai, Shambhavi and Sahai, Shambhavi, "The Relevance of Caste in Contemporary India: Reexamining the Affirmative Action Debate" (2018). CMC Senior Theses. 1854.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1854
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