Caste in Indian Higher Education: The Missing Organisational Studies.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Caste in Indian Higher Education: The Missing Organisational Studies.
Authors:	S. R., Shashank^1,2
Source:	Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS). Apr2026, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p241-268. 28p.
Subject Terms:	Postsecondary education, Universities & colleges, Caste, Organizational sociology, Public administration, Caste discrimination
Abstract:	Literature engaging with the issue of caste in Indian higher education can broadly be classified into three streams. While all streams ascribe caste as a systemic issue, the third and most recent stream lays much emphasis on an individuals' experience of caste discrimination. This has problematised the deep-rooted casteism within everyday functioning of Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). However, it implicitly assumes that caste as a systemic issue, translates directly into an individual's experience of caste, thereby overlooking the crucial mediating role of higher educational institutions at the meso-level. The scholarship on caste in Indian higher education cannot afford such omissions provided that caste affiliations lie at the very core of establishment and the functioning of HEIs. Drawing on the engagement of organisational studies with race, we contend that there exists a necessity for examining the caste affiliations of HEIs. Such studies would enable the disaggregation of the all-encompassing category of 'private' institutions by providing for an examination of the abilities of each caste to administer their own HEIs thereby adding yet another layer for the study of inequalities in Indian higher education with profound policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Literature engaging with the issue of caste in Indian higher education can broadly be classified into three streams. While all streams ascribe caste as a systemic issue, the third and most recent stream lays much emphasis on an individuals' experience of caste discrimination. This has problematised the deep-rooted casteism within everyday functioning of Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). However, it implicitly assumes that caste as a systemic issue, translates directly into an individual's experience of caste, thereby overlooking the crucial mediating role of higher educational institutions at the meso-level. The scholarship on caste in Indian higher education cannot afford such omissions provided that caste affiliations lie at the very core of establishment and the functioning of HEIs. Drawing on the engagement of organisational studies with race, we contend that there exists a necessity for examining the caste affiliations of HEIs. Such studies would enable the disaggregation of the all-encompassing category of 'private' institutions by providing for an examination of the abilities of each caste to administer their own HEIs thereby adding yet another layer for the study of inequalities in Indian higher education with profound policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	20510969