When the 19th century began, no one was sure of who or what a Hindu was. But by the end of the 20th century, it seemed like the majority of India's population was Hindu since the beginning of time. This is the story of what happened in between... https://t.co/O5xevx2IAs

Something I did with @IndiaInkHistory. Read on to know what have been the attitudes towards adding caste in the census.

Thread on the history of caste census:

Really useful thread about the arguments for and against asking about caste in the Indian census. (I explore international comparisons over time in The Uncounted, considering when marginalised groups in particular may seek, or resist, being counted by the state.)

Source text: Caste as Census Category: Implications for Sociology Publication: Current Sociology (2000) Author: Nandini Sundar Summary by: Amlan Sarkar To read a more detailed version of this summary or to access the original paper, go to our website...

While supporters of the caste census argue for the need to collect caste data, it is clear that data alone isn’t enough to change Indian society. The hope is that this data will lead to more mobilisation by the people for greater equality and justice.

Opponents of the caste census stress on its potential misuse by political parties to sow discord in society & the challenges involved in collecting accurate data. Those in favour see it as a move that could highlight existing inequalities & eventually create a casteless society.

But the official understanding of caste at this time was that it was something that had to do with Dalits and no one else. Eventually, the rise of political parties representing lower castes & the movement for reservations led to increased caste consciousness among the oppressed.

But contrary to the hopes of the Constituent Assembly, removing caste from the census has not resulted in it disappearing from the public sphere. Advantages and disadvantages due to caste continued to define every strata of Indian society.

The logic was that gathering caste data was divisive. However, data on religion remained an important part of the census.

After India became independent, the constituent assembly felt it was best to keep caste out of the census – except in the case of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes because the constitution mandated measures to uplift them & data was needed to create & implement such schemes.

But even in the colonial period, opinions were divided about the presence of caste in the census. Organisations like the Jat Pat Todak Mandal were against recording caste whereas Ambedkar felt it was necessary to win special concessions for those oppressed by the caste system.

The British thought caste defined a person’s behaviour, describing some castes as “martial” and others as “prone to insanity” or “criminal activities.” They also tried to create an official hierarchy of all castes and sub-castes.

Caste has been a part of Indian societies since the ancient times, yet colonialism undeniably also changed caste in some ways. The British forced Indians into strict categories of caste and religion that sometimes didn’t reflect their actual identity.

Some claimed the census simply records facts about society & could provide much-needed data about caste inequality. Others argued that during the colonial era, when caste data was last recorded, the process of recording the facts had made the caste system more rigid than before.

In 1998, the office of the Registrar General of India released an informal proposal to record caste data for India’s entire population in the 2001 census. This led to a heated debate.

Should we include caste in the census? Some believe that it will lead to greater social equality, while others believe it will divide Indian society even further. This thread will trace the history of caste in the census and analyse the arguments for and against it👇

Source Text: Caste Politics in Bihar: In Historical Continuum Publication: History and Sociology of South Asia (2018) Author: Rakesh Ankit Summarised by Isha Phullay Click on the link below to read a more detailed version of this thread.

14. While Lalu’s politics in the previous decade had focused on justice and dignity in the face of upper caste oppression, Nitish emphasised welfare and development programs.

13. In 2005, Nitish Kumar emerged as the new face of social justice politics in Bihar. He drew his support from a wider group of people, embracing women, backward castes, and Dalits (including those from Muslim groups), and Maha Dalits.

12. Lalu’s electoral power was built on the support of Yadavs and Muslims. However, over time, favouritism towards Yadavs pulled other groups away from this populist leader.