ABSTRACT
In case of migration studies in India, the role of caste has been largely ignored or undermined. Caste plays a role in facilitating, barring migration, and in creation or perpetuation of migration patterns. Social networks and capital which enable and encourage migration are caste-based networks. Because of this, certain migration streams may be easily accessible to migrants while certain streams will be completely closed. Migration patterns differ across caste groups. For the erstwhile lower castes, migration offers an opportunity to escape oppressive caste practices, while for the dominant castes it is a way of consolidation of power in the spaces that they inhabit. Economic and “social” remittances of migrants play a big role in shaping caste practices and also in weakening or strengthening the power of certain caste groups. This chapter looks at the differing migration outcomes and examines the role that caste plays in determining them. It explores the relationship of caste vis-à-vis migration based on primary data collected in Beed district of Maharashtra.
