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The Intersection of Caste, Class and Social Justice: A Sociological Inquiry into Sardar Patel’s Thought

Author(s) Aditya Sharma
Country India
Abstract This paper investigates the intersection of caste and class in the political thought and practice of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, through a sociological lens. As a central figure in India's nationalist movement and post-independence state formation, Patel operated within a society marked by entrenched caste hierarchies and emerging class contradictions. While he upheld the principles of legal equality and national integration, Patel’s political strategies often engaged with caste and class not merely as oppressive structures, but as pragmatic tools for achieving political cohesion. The paper is anchored in key sociological theories: Max Weber’s framework of status and class stratification, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social and symbolic capital, and Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony. These theoretical models help contextualize Patel’s simultaneous endorsement of legal egalitarianism and his accommodation of social stratification. Weber’s emphasis on legal-rational authority and status honour helps explain Patel’s use of institutional discipline; Bourdieu illuminates how caste-based capital continued to function within agrarian mobilization; and Gramsci’s framework reveals how Patel sought hegemony through moral leadership and national integration. By analyzing Patel’s speeches, policies, and his leadership during events like the Bardoli Satyagraha and debates in the Constituent Assembly, the paper argues that Patel promoted a vision of citizenship centered on unity and discipline while minimally confronting structural caste inequalities. His thought thus reveals a productive but uneasy relationship between social justice and nation-building in India. This inquiry contributes to sociological understandings of how caste and class are co-constitutive forces in shaping modern citizenship. The paper is descriptive and analytical in nature and is based on secondary sources of data.
Keywords Sardar Patel, caste, class, sociological theory, Weber, Bourdieu, Gramsci
Field Sociology
Published In Volume 6, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On 2025-12-09
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