On Examining Residential Segregation in Rural Gadag, Karnataka, India: The Case of the Banjara Tandas.

Abstract

Residential segregation of settlements on caste lines is common across Indian villages. Banjara settlements or tandas are an extreme form of residential segregation, rooted in colonial history and India's complex caste system, and an outcome of structural discrimination. This analysis examines the structural discrimination of tandas in the distribution of various infrastructure and compares it with the villages in proximity to it. A cross-sectional comparative study of infrastructure was conducted in Banjara tandas and villages in Gadag district, Karnataka, India. Composite scores were computed for various infrastructure and discriminant analysis done to classify tandas and villages. The villages have better physical infrastructure such as paved roads, multiple water supply sources, and better drains and amenities such as the community water filter, ration shop, veterinary center, milk society, banks, post office, and health facilities compared to tandas. Discriminant analysis indicated that social infrastructural indicators of health and education (Discriminant function coefficient -0.8689), followed by transportation (Discriminant function coefficient -0.3576) and water supply (Discriminant function coefficient -0.2939), are the most significant discriminating factors between tanda and villages. This disadvantage indicates structural discrimination that is a continuation of the stigma and labeling perpetrated upon them historically and the complex caste system in Indian societies.