CASTE AND THE QUESTION OF JUSTICE: A PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

The caste system, a deeply entrenched and historically persistent form of social stratification in India, presents one of the most enduring and complex challenges to the philosophical conception of justice. Unlike class, which is often defined in terms of economic relations, caste is rooted in notions of birth-based hierarchy, ritual purity, and inherited social roles (Ambedkar, 1948). These rigid divisions have historically dictated not only one's occupation and social mobility but also one's access to education, political representation, and human dignity. While political reforms and constitutional safeguards have attempted to address caste-based discrimination, its structural and symbolic power continues to reproduce inequalities in modern India (Deshpande, 2013).