Note - I am not sure why my questions are being considered open ended as i have already tried posting the question regarding 'caste identity' before & both times it was considered as open ended or 'Homework' question.
I just want to have a conversation about Identities & how their description from dominant forces changes them.
The term caste itself obviously isn't part of the native vernacular, so the term 'caste' by definition was imported into India (by the Portuguese, rather than the British.)
That said, the way in which the term has been applied and used in the Indian context in the British Raj - and in independent India - has been a juxtaposition of the Raj's legal, economic and political framework and traditional jati and varna based social class divisions in India. See this thread:
/r/AskAnthropology /r/AskAnthropologists /r/AskHistorians /r/socialscience /r/AskAcademia /r/history /r/AskHistorians /r/ColonialHistory
Is anybody interested in looking into this issue ? & Is willing to read atleast some of the references.