India’s Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Low Castes in North Indian Politics
Christophe Jaffrelot
Price
895
ISBN
9788178240800
Language
English
Pages
530
Format
Paperback
Dimensions
140 x 216 mm
Year of Publishing
2003
Territorial Rights
Restricted
Imprint
Permanent Black

Since the 1960s a new assertiveness has characterized India´s formerly silent majority, the lower castes that comprise more than two-thirds of the country’s population. Today, India´s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, is controlled by lower-caste politicians, as is Bihar, and lower-caste representation in national politics is growing inexorably. Jaffrelot argues that this trend constitutes a genuine ‘democratization’ of India, and that the social and economic effects of this ‘silent revolution’ are bound to multiply in the years to come. For anyone interested in Indian politics, post-Independence history, and the contemporary political scenario, this is an indispensable book.

Christophe Jaffrelot is director of the Centre d’Etudes et Recherches Internationales (CERI), part of the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris.