Section Article

Caste and Modernity: Continuity and Change in Indian Social Hierarchies
Author(s): Anju Jeswal

Abstract
Caste continues to play a central role in shaping Indian social hierarchies even in the context of modernity and constitutional democracy. While legal reforms urbanization education and economic development have challenged traditional forms of caste-based discrimination they have not succeeded in fully eradicating caste as a socio-political force. This paper explores the paradoxical relationship between caste and modernity in India arguing that instead of vanishing under the influence of modernization caste has been reconstituted in new and complex ways. Through a critical examination of historical trajectories state interventions and contemporary socio-cultural developments the paper demonstrates how caste endures and evolves in response to changing social political and technological landscapes. The analysis highlights the dynamic tension between continuity and change offering insights into the persistent entanglement of caste with questions of identity power and inequality in modern India.