Caste, Occupation and Politics on the Ganges Passages of Resistance [Hardcover]

This intriguing anthropological study investigates how the boatmen of Banaras have repositioned themselves within the traditional social organization and used their privileged position on the river to contest upper-caste and state domination. Assa Doron examines the evolution of the boatmen community, drawing on a variety of sources to illuminate the cultural politics of social and economic inequality in contemporary India. Caste, Occupation and Politics on the Ganges offers insight into recent debates about the cultural and historical forms of social practice and resistance at the juncture between tradition and the global economy, and will therefore appeal not only to anthropologists, but to anyone working in the field of development studies, globalization, religion, politics and cultural studies.Contents: Foreword; Series editors' preface: Ritual transformations and the edges of history, Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart; Introduction; The criminal type: domesticating the Ganges boatmen; 'Step-sons of the state': marginalization and the struggle for recognition; The moral economy of boating: territorial clashes and internal struggles; River crossings: boatmen, priests and the ritual economy of Banaras; The romance of Banaras: boatmen, pilgrims and tourists; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.Assa Doron is a Research Fellow at the Department of Anthropology, at The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, Australia