What is it about?
Soumya Saha’s review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam by the present author is the focus of this discussion. While Saha provides insights into the key arguments of the book and some shortcomings, additional arguments need to be presented to better understand the identity assertion of the Nath Yogis of Bengal and Assam.
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Why is it important?
This study makes a significant and original contribution to the scholarship on caste and identity politics by bringing the relatively understudied Nath Yogis of Bengal and Assam into sharp analytical focus. It successfully challenges dominant theoretical frameworks, particularly the “rise of caste” thesis and conventional notions of Sanskritisation, by demonstrating the complex, non-linear ways in which marginalised communities negotiate identity, recognition, and social hierarchy. The work is especially commendable for foregrounding the politics of social esteem over purely material concerns, thereby enriching contemporary debates on recognition versus redistribution. Overall, it stands out as a nuanced, empirically grounded, and theoretically engaging intervention in the study of caste in eastern India.
Perspectives
The study opens up new perspectives by encouraging more nuanced, community-specific analyses of caste beyond dominant frameworks. It highlights the importance of examining the politics of recognition alongside material concerns and calls for rethinking concepts like Sanskritisation and social mobility as dynamic and contested processes. It also lays the groundwork for comparative studies on why some marginalised groups achieve political consolidation while others remain socially assertive but politically marginal.
Dr Kunal Debnath
Rabindra Bharati University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Nath Yogis of Bengal and Assam and Their Identity Assertion, Economic & Political Weekly, January 2026, Sameeksha Trust,
DOI: 10.71279/epw.v60i50.44897.
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