In recent years, the inclusion of ascriptive categories like race, ethnicity or caste in national censuses has become a matter of considerable debate. This article focuses on the Indian debate over the inclusion of caste in the 2001 census, in the light of three broad questions: whether official classifications merely reflect or actively transform social identities; who benefits from certain classifications; and the implications of such official classifications for sociology. Supporters of caste enumeration argue that census categories merely reflect existing divisions and that it is necessary to link caste identity with inequality. Opponents point to the past experience of mobilization around officially recognized identities and the consequent dangers of both distorted data and increased social tensions. This article argues that while official classifications are important determinants of identity, they are not the sole factor. Ultimately the challenge is to ensure that the right use is made of such statistics.
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