Changing frontiers of caste

The present book is a
contribution to the growing volume of
sophisticated discussion on caste in
valuable India. The succinct account of the
structure and working of the caste
system in Kheri and Khiria-twwo
villages of comparable size, one locat
ed in Rajasthan and the other in
Madhya Pradesh-presented in this
volume adds significantly to our under-
standing of the regional variations in
the caste system. Dr. Atal's work is
free from an unfortunate tendency
visible in some analytical works on
the forms and processes of Indian
society: they tend to be skimpy in
their documentation.
It is the story of slow change in a
society where nostalgia for tradition
is still strong. It will perhaps dis-
appoint those who rashly predicted
the disintegration of the caste system
in a decade or two. Many will perhaps
find the rate of change too slow.
To cautious and perceptive observers,
however, the trends of change deli-
neated in this book will be heartening.
The classification of the attributes of
caste and the consequent analyses
are useful. The changing aspects of
caste have been carefully analysed in
framework. Comparative trea
ment of two villages, located in settings
that have different historical traditions,
this has added greatly to the significance
professional social anthropologists
and sociologists will find much to
interest them in this thoughtful book
and other readers who are interested
of the conclusions of the b0ok. The
in social change in India will read it
with interest and profit.