Dalitisation

Dalitization or Asprashyeekaran is a process of downward social mobility in the Indian caste system.

Sociologist Shyam Lal describes "Asprashyeekaran" as a process of converting Upper Castes into Lower Castes, wherein, under "extraordinary circumstances," Upper Caste individuals are admitted into the Dalit caste through cultural "devices and procedures" of the Dalit caste they are getting admitted into. To corroborate this, he noted such processes adopted by the Chamars, Bhalahis, Mahars, and Bairwas.  Excerpted and adapted from the book From Higher Castes to Lower Castes: The Process of Asprashyeekaran and the Myth of Sanskrtization, 1997, Jaipur, Rawat Publications.

The process of "Dalitization" has also been described as an opposition to Sanskritization by sociologists like S. Selvam and Gopal Guru. 

 References 

Category:Castes
Category:Chamar