Rise of the Plebeians?

The Changing Face of the Indian Legislative Assemblies

Sanjay Kumar editor Christophe Jaffrelot editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:31st Mar '21

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Rise of the Plebeians? cover

For decades, India has been a conservative democracy governed by the upper caste notables coming from the urban bourgeoisie, the landowning aristocracy and the intelligentsia. The democratisation of the ‘world’s largest democracy’ started with the rise of peasants’ parties and the politicisation of the lower castes who voted their own representatives to power as soon as they emancipated themselves from the elite’s domination. In Indian state politics, caste plays a major role and this book successfully studies how this caste-based social diversity gets translated into politics.

This is the first comprehensive study of the sociological profile of Indian political personnel at the state level. It examines the individual trajectory of 16 states, from the 1950s to 2000s, according to one dominant parameter—the evolution of the caste background of their elected representatives known as Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs. The study also takes into account other variables like occupation, gender, age and education.

'This book is highly recommended to readers interested in the current dynamics of
Indian politics, specifi cally with regard to the rise of ‘the plebeians’ to power, offering clear historical insights on some of the major Indian states and central issues concerning Indian politics.'
- Anna Dugoni, SOAS, University of London; South Asia Research Vol. 30 No. 2 [July 2010]

ISBN: 9780367367978

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 612g

530 pages