‘Sanskritisation’ as Appropriation of What Was Denied: A View from the Sree Narayana Guru Movement in Kerala

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the study of Sree Narayana Guru’s praxis forces us to question the popular understanding of ‘sanskritisation’ as mere imitation or emulation of ‘upper-caste’ rituals and practices for the purpose of seeking caste mobility. Given that the practice of caste has fundamentally been about exclusivity and denial, sanskritisation needs to be seen as a process that involved appropriating what had been denied due to exclusive caste privileges and the working of caste power. Sree Narayana Guru’s movement then, indicates that sanskritisation should be seen as a political act, which sought to challenge caste rules of the time.