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Cultures of Caste and Rural Development in the Social Network of a South Indian Village

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  • Saurabh Arora
  • Bulat Sanditov

Abstract

Cultures of caste in much of rural India have become entangled with institutions of rural development. In community-driven development, emphasis on “local resource persons†and “community spokespersons†has created new opportunities for brokerage and patronage within some villages, which interact with existing forms of authority and community afforded by caste identity and intra-caste headmanship. In this article, we study how these entangled cultures of caste and development translate into social network structures using data on friendship ties from a south Indian village. We find that although caste continues to be important in shaping community structures and leadership in the village’s network, its influence varies across different communities. This fluidity of caste’s influence on community network structures is argued to be the result of multiple distinct yet partially overlapping cultural-political forces, which include sharedness afforded by caste identity and new forms of difference and inequality effected through rural development.

Suggested Citation

  • Saurabh Arora & Bulat Sanditov, 2015. "Cultures of Caste and Rural Development in the Social Network of a South Indian Village," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(3), pages 21582440155, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:5:y:2015:i:3:p:2158244015598813
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244015598813
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Deshpande, Ashwini, 2001. "Caste at Birth? Redefining Disparity in India," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 130-144, February.
    2. Kripa Ananth Pur & Mick Moore, 2010. "Ambiguous Institutions: Traditional Governance and Local Democracy in Rural South India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(4), pages 603-623.
    3. Susan Hanson & Megan Blake, 2009. "Gender and Entrepreneurial Networks," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 135-149.
    4. Somjee, A. H., 1973. "Caste and the Decline of Political Homogeneity," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 67(3), pages 799-816, September.
    5. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    6. Ashwini Deshpande, 2001. "Caste at Birth? Redefining Disparity in India," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 130-144, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sapkota, Jeet Bahadur & Paudel, Damaru Ballabha & Neupane, Pramila & Thapa, Rajesh Bahadur, 2018. "Preference for Sex of Children Among Women in Nepal," MPRA Paper 106095, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Bulat Sanditov & Saurabh Arora, 2016. "Social network and private provision of public goods," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 195-218, March.
    3. Bulat Sanditov & Saurabh Arora, 2015. "Social network and private provision of public goods," SPRU Working Paper Series 2015-35, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    4. Bulat Sanditov & Saurabh Arora, 2016. "Social network and private provision of public goods," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 195-218, March.
    5. Veettil, P.C. & Devi, A. & Gupta, I., 2018. "Caste, Informal Social Networks and Varietal Turnover," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277172, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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