Intercaste marriages between castes which have socio-economic parity have increased, to some extent, but this is less true of interreligious marriages. Discuss.

Theme

T50 Caste: continuity, change, mobility & Dalit assertion

What UPSC asks in this theme

A heavily repeated GS1 theme: is caste disappearing in urban India, fluid and static identity, new associational forms, Dalit assertion, and intercaste vs interreligious marriages.

What to cover

• Caste in urban vs rural India
• Sanskritisation, dominant caste, caste associations
• Fluid vs static: mobility vs endogamy
• Dalit movements and annihilation of caste
• Caste in politics and marriage

Writing the answer

• Use sociological concepts (Srinivas etc.) and current examples
• Balance continuity and change

These notes are for the whole theme, built from all 6 of its PYQs. UPSC does not publish model answers.