Musahar Toli or Rukanpura: an Intersection of Caste and Gentrification

This essay explores the intersection of caste, space, and gentrification in the urban transformation of Musahar Toli, a neighborhood in Patna, India. It examines how the state’s provision of permanent housing in the 1990s reshaped Musahar Toli from a stigmatized settlement on the city’s outskirts to an increasingly urbanized area coveted by Patna’s middle-class residents. As wealthier, predominantly upper-caste inhabitants have moved in, the neighborhood has undergone both demographic and cultural shifts, erasing its historical association with the Dalit Musahar caste. This rebranding of Musahar Toli as Rukanpura reflects not just gentrification but the persistence of caste hierarchies, where symbolic capital is generated by distancing oneself from “polluting” caste identities. Despite urbanization, older residents express a lingering sense of exclusion, reinforced by inadequate amenities and discriminatory policing. These dynamics underscore how belonging and exclusion are produced through caste. This essay highlights the need to understand gentrification in Indian cities as a process entangled with caste and symbolic erasure, challenging simplistic readings of urban transformation and raising questions about the inclusivity of urban belonging for marginalized communities.