Deconstructing Merit in a Merit, Efficiency, and Intelligence Economy

This paper aims to complicate the category of ‘merit’ within the contemporary Indian context, particularly in relation to the affirmative action policies and the introduction of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota. While merit is often framed as a neutral and an objective measure of individual effort, this paper argues how it is deeply embedded within the histories of caste, class, and intergenerational accumulation of capital. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Bourdieu’s forms of capital, Deshpande’s notion of castelessness, and Darity Jr.’s theory of proprietary claims, it traces how privilege is often naturalized as ‘ability’ and reproduced as ‘merit’ within the existing educational and employment systems. By situating the ‘merit vs. quota’ debate within the broader neoliberal transformations and amidst the global challenges to affirmative action, this paper demonstrates how meritocracy serves as a powerful ideology that legitimizes inequality while appearing egalitarian. In conclusion, the analysis calls for a rethinking of merit as a socially constructed and relational category, rather than a fixed individual trait, and argues for affirmative action policies that move beyond simplistic binaries of ‘merit’ and ‘reservation’. It is only by critically interrogating the making of merit can we reframe social justice debates in ways that address enduring inequalities and create more inclusive futures.