Introduction

The Introduction identifies the broad theme of the book, i.e., relationships of multiple castes – Dalits, MBCs, an intermediary caste/upper OBC, and high castes in western UP and western and north-eastern Rajasthan between themselves, with democracy and the state; the patterns and questions; critiques the dominant modernization framework to explain caste politics, and explains how alternative multicultural framework is more appropriate. It also discusses conceptual framework and underlines the central argument: degrees of democracy exist in relation to castes depending on their relationships with two kinds of factors – constant and contingent.