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How rich schools keep caste alive - Surinder Jodhka explains
Published on August 28, 2025
In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Sociologist and professor Surinder Jodhka speaks about caste, inequality, and education in contemporary India. Drawing on decades of research, Jodhka explores the paradoxes of caste in a democratic nation: even as modernisation and liberalisation promised its decline, caste has become more visible and complex.
He discusses how caste operates in India’s neoliberal economy, the myth of “castelessness,” and the persistence of privilege across generations. The conversation highlights how private schooling and higher education reproduce inequalities, how affirmative action has reshaped access to opportunity, and why education remains a crucial site for struggles over equality, dignity, and citizenship.
Context:
Post-liberalisation India has seen rising aspirations, yet caste-based inequalities endure across schools, universities, and job markets. While affirmative action has enabled new mobility, debates around meritocracy and discrimination continue. Jodhka places these issues within a larger global discussion on inequality and democracy.
Highlights:
-Why caste remains central in a democratic India
-Paradoxes of caste in the neoliberal economy
-The myth of “castelessness” and its social consequences
-How private schools reproduce privilege and exclusion
-Affirmative action, meritocracy, and higher education debates
-Education as a site of contestation over equality and justice
-Caste as a global issue in universities abroad
Perfect for:
-Students and researchers of sociology, caste, and education
-Journalists, educators, and policy thinkers
-Viewers interested in inequality, democracy, and social justice
Credits:
Host: Vishal Vasanthakumar
Producer: Kavya Pradeep M
Editor: Razal Pareed
Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online...#surinderjodhka #caste #sociology #education #meritocracy #inequality #socialjustice #indianpolitics #democracy #neoliberalism #highereducation #castelessness #india
Follow us on:
Facebook - / frontlineindia
Twitter - / frontline_india
Instagram - / frontline.magazine
LinkedIn - / frontline-magazine-b12921295
View all episodes
By FrontlinePublished on August 28, 2025
In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Sociologist and professor Surinder Jodhka speaks about caste, inequality, and education in contemporary India. Drawing on decades of research, Jodhka explores the paradoxes of caste in a democratic nation: even as modernisation and liberalisation promised its decline, caste has become more visible and complex.
He discusses how caste operates in India’s neoliberal economy, the myth of “castelessness,” and the persistence of privilege across generations. The conversation highlights how private schooling and higher education reproduce inequalities, how affirmative action has reshaped access to opportunity, and why education remains a crucial site for struggles over equality, dignity, and citizenship.
Context:
Post-liberalisation India has seen rising aspirations, yet caste-based inequalities endure across schools, universities, and job markets. While affirmative action has enabled new mobility, debates around meritocracy and discrimination continue. Jodhka places these issues within a larger global discussion on inequality and democracy.
Highlights:
-Why caste remains central in a democratic India
-Paradoxes of caste in the neoliberal economy
-The myth of “castelessness” and its social consequences
-How private schools reproduce privilege and exclusion
-Affirmative action, meritocracy, and higher education debates
-Education as a site of contestation over equality and justice
-Caste as a global issue in universities abroad
Perfect for:
-Students and researchers of sociology, caste, and education
-Journalists, educators, and policy thinkers
-Viewers interested in inequality, democracy, and social justice
Credits:
Host: Vishal Vasanthakumar
Producer: Kavya Pradeep M
Editor: Razal Pareed
Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online...#surinderjodhka #caste #sociology #education #meritocracy #inequality #socialjustice #indianpolitics #democracy #neoliberalism #highereducation #castelessness #india
Follow us on:
Facebook - / frontlineindia
Twitter - / frontline_india
Instagram - / frontline.magazine
LinkedIn - / frontline-magazine-b12921295