Anand Teltumbde’s Republic of Caste: Thinking Equality in the Time of Neoliberal Hindutva is a 2018 collection of essays that uses caste to examine India’s social and political life. In Jean Drèze’s July 15, 2022 review, its arguments about democracy, reservations and caste-based mobilization are provocative challenges to how India understands equality. Drèze’s title referred to Teltumbde’s incarceration at that time; it does not establish his current legal or custody status.
What is Republic of Caste about?
Published by Navayana in 2018, Republic of Caste: Thinking Equality in the Time of Neoliberal Hindutva gathers essays by Anand Teltumbde. Drèze describes caste as the thread that runs through its discussions of communalism, sanitation, elections, economics, reservations and democracy. The collection is not confined to caste as a single subject; it asks how caste shapes questions central to life in a democratic republic.
Drèze quotes Teltumbde describing the essays as dealing with issues “which may be taken as crucial for our collective survival as a democratic republic.” The review presents the book’s wider concern as the gap between democracy’s promise of liberty, equality and fraternity and the conditions of Indian public life.
How does the book approach democracy and caste?
As summarized by Drèze, Teltumbde challenges familiar assumptions about the Constitution, reservations and caste-based political mobilization. These are arguments to engage with, not neutral conclusions the review establishes as settled fact. The book’s breadth invites readers to consider caste alongside economic life and political institutions rather than treating it as a separate or historical concern.
For a reader approaching the book critically, useful questions include how convincingly it connects its varied subjects, what account of democracy underlies its arguments, and how its critiques of reservations and mobilization hold up against other perspectives. Drèze characterizes those arguments as challenging and provocative.
What does Drèze criticize?
Drèze’s clearest reservation about the book is its omission of gender. He argues that gender and patriarchy are entangled with caste, and that addressing them would have enriched the collection. This is the reviewer’s assessment of a gap in the book’s scope, not a claim that its other subjects are unimportant.
What does the title’s reference to jail mean?
The phrase “even as he is in jail” belongs to the July 2022 context of Drèze’s review. It should be read as a historical reference to Teltumbde’s incarceration then, not as confirmation of his present circumstances. The review’s central point is the contrast between the reach of Teltumbde’s ideas and his imprisonment at that time.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who may find the book useful?
The collection is suited to readers interested in caste and its connections to democracy, public policy and economic life. Its wide-ranging essay form offers several entry points, while Drèze’s criticism about gender gives readers a specific question to keep in view as they assess its coverage.
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