Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the relationship between social identity and outcomes in the markets with the help of business histories of Dalit entrepreneurs. It engages with the question of why Dalits should be analytically as well as politically considered a homogenous group irrespective of their diverse socio-political and economic locations. The book then examines the diverse perspectives/approaches on caste and subsequently critiques them from the standpoint of Dalits. It also explores that social identity is the source of discrimination and unfavourable inclusion of Dalits in markets. The book provides an insight into the structured patterns of market-based accumulation processes to argue that economic relationships in a typical market setting are embedded in social relationships defined through caste relationships. It then delineates the role of caste-inspired social networks in the markets and elaborates its four components, normative component, structural component, resource component, and dynamic component.