Includes bibliographical references and index.

Social contours of indian village -- Introducing the indian village -- Reinterpreting caste -- Caste, inequality and social mobility -- Individual and family -- Glimpses of village economy -- Peasants: a declining backbone of rural economy -- Artisans: proto-industrial workers -- Weavers: under the dominance of master-weavers -- Rural power structure -- Reflections on Indian polity vis-:-vis Indian village -- Dynamics of elections and its reflections on rural India -- Panchayati Raj institutions and empowerment -- Emerging patterns of stratification and change -- Formation of middle class in rural India -- Education and social stratification in village India -- Understanding rural development in India -- Theoretical and empirical concerns in village studies -- Subaltern studies in the wake of globalization -- Revisiting the six villages in rajasthan after half a century -- Conclusion: emerging matrix of social status and change -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the author.