ABSTRACT
One of the richest places to continue the search for a caste or occupational group called Kathak is the nineteenth-century British censuses and ethnographies of India. The Hindu caste of musician called Kathak is entirely distinct, both in origin and character, from the preceding Muhammadan ones. The Brahman question is one of the most controversial parts of any attempt to uncover the history of Kathak identity. This chapter examines the inconsistency of the Kathaks' social standing is the general rarity of high status among hereditary performing groups in India and many other parts of the world. Research into the activities, history and status of North India's hereditary musical communities has been conducted by a number of scholars including Neuman, Schreffler, Brown and Lybarger. Another group of performers with whom Kathaks are associated is the Ras Dhari, as there are claims that the Lucknow Kathaks 'belonged to the Rasdhari tradition'.
