ABSTRACT
Subalterns as a socio-cultural category became popular in India in the context of two perspectives surfaced in history writings. While the ‘nationalist’ historians looked at history from above, subaltern historians viewed it from below, thereby recognizing the role of ex-untouchables, who came to be designated as Dalits. But even as the subaltern historians recognized the role of Dalits in anti-colonial movement, they focused on material factors – class and power. On the other hand, sociologists and social anthropologists focused on the ritual status of Dalits, ignoring their material conditions. This chapter argues that Dalit status is a complex one which encapsulates the low material as well as the stigmatized ritual status attributed to them by the Hindu Doctrine of Creation endorsed and practised by the majority of twice-born caste Hindus. The stigma of their low ritual status persists in the case of Dalits even when they experience upward material mobility and convert to other religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. This unfolds the bi-dimensional nature of India’s caste system – ritual and secular, the former constituting the core dimension overlooked by most analysts. This chapter attempts to fill this significant analytical gap.
