CASTE AND CLASS IN TRANSITION: MODERN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN COLONIAL INDIA

Abstract

The spread of modern education in colonial India triggered a profound transformation within the caste and class structure. In the mid-19th century, the modern education system introduced by the British regime, through the establishment of schools, colleges, and universities, challenged the traditional caste-based occupations. While the upper caste elites initially pioneered access to education, later the spread of education among the lower caste and marginalized communities also created a new horizon of overall social mobility.1 The emergence of this new educated class played a major role in the formation of middle-class society and gave impetus to the development of social reforms, nationalism, and professional diversity. In particular, institutions such as the Hindu College and later the University of Calcutta served as centers for the dissemination of Western humanism, rationalism, liberalism, and modern sociology. 2 Although modern education has not completely reformed the caste system, it has contributed to the formation of new professional aspirations, political participation and a sense of self-identity among the lower caste and marginalized educated society. As a result, modern education emerged as a powerful change-maker in the reconstruction of caste and class in colonial Indian society.