What Is to Be Maratha: Contemporary Articulations of Maratha Caste Associations in Maharashtra

ABSTRACT Since the 1980s, caste associations in Maharashtra have re‐emerged as interest groups and as critical sites of identity reconstitution in response to social and economic transformations. This article examines the contemporary articulations of Maratha identity through the case of the Maratha Seva Sangh (MSS), a prominent caste association. Focusing on the structure, discourse, and strategies of MSS, it analyzes how the association addresses the dual questions of “Who is Maratha?” and “What is to be Maratha?”. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and MSS's published material, the article argues that MSS adopts a distinctly non‐Brahmin ideological stance seeking to redefine Maratha identity amid sociopolitical contestations, including economic decline, growing Dalit and Bahujan critiques, and weakening caste cohesion. In doing so, the article contributes to broader debates on caste, identity‐making, and the evolving role of caste associations in contemporary India.