Everyday Movement Patterns of Women in Assi : A Socio-spatial Approach

Sammanfattning: This essay seeks to explore the societal institution of caste from a socio-spatial perspective. The focus is on everyday routine of individuals and on the places this routine is connected with. A special interest is the access that different people have to different places. For this purpose, information has been collected from interviews and observations with women of different caste belonging in the area of Assi, Varanasi, India. A time-geographical approach has been used. It is argued that caste, which is a social concept, and space, which is a geographical dimension, are related to each other in a socio-spatial dialectic. The conclusion is that not all castes do have access to the same kinds of places, i.e. some religious or public spaces. Although caste is not the only factor that influences, it still has a major impact on people’s actions and feelings of belonging.