Stratification is mainly the differentiation of people into various levels and layers, creating a hierarchy of certain groups that share a similar lifestyle. This hierarchical distribution ranks one group above the other in terms of wealth, power, and status.
The Indian society is stratified on the basis of caste, class, and gender- the governing factors of an individual’s power and position in the society. The caste system in India has existed for several centuries now and is undergoing a significant change in recent years.
The word caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning species, race, or kind. Castes are hereditary social groups where a person inherits the status and function of his parents and his rights are decided on the basis of the caste he is born into.
The Caste System in India
There are thousands of castes and subcastes in India associated with traditional occupations such as priests, potters, barbers, carpenters, etc. The two terms that describe the caste system in India are ‘the Varna’ and ‘the Jati’.
Varna is a Sanskrit word meaning type, order, colour, or class and refers to the division of society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. The ranking of castes is based on the principle of purity and pollution, often associated with functions of the human body.
The Brahmins represent the most elevated condition of purity and tend to be more prosperous than the lower castes on the scale. They are scholars who traditionally taught and presided at religious functions and must avoid contact with the so-called Untouchables or Chandalas who are relegated to polluting tasks.
Each Jati is a group of clans, tribes, communities, and sub-communities having a union with a tribal job function. Under this system, a person is born into a jati with ascribed social roles and endogamy. The jati has historically been open to change based on economic, social, and political influences and induces a feeling of security within individuals.
The Indian caste system is dynamic in nature and closely bound with the Hindu belief that individuals who fail to perform the duties of their caste will be reborn in an inferior position in their next birth. It constitutes a combination of the various systems of the society, loosely connected with the diversity of varying beliefs and practices.
Among castes, there is not only inequality of wealth, income, and power but also cultural and social segregation on the assumption that some castes are purer than others.
Characteristics of Caste System
the social structure is a complex framework within which different institutions, groups, and associations are tied together. Some characteristics governing the caste of a person are:
- Determination by birth
- Rules and regulations concerning food-
- Definite occupation
- Rules concerning status and touchability
- Caste is innate
The Class System in India
This is the stratification in terms of wealth, educational qualification, property ownership, and other similar things in a hierarchical order. These are the higher or the elites, the middle class, and the lower class.
Modern society is a victim of the class system where a person’s rank is decided on the basis of the amount of wealth he possesses. The elites form the powerful section of the society also called the capitalists who control the forces of market and power in political institutions.
The middle class is a major pillar of society comprising a significant fraction of the population and the lower class is primarily the one below the poverty line. Unlike the caste system, the distribution according to classes is not definite. For instance, a person belonging to the middle class can enter the higher class and vice versa.
Caste and Politics in India
Politics is a competitive enterprise and caste voting, caste-based candidature, class conflicts, reservation are all factors of Indian politics. The political mobilization of caste has led to new forms of caste alliances with a sharpened sense of identity.
The government in India has divided the caste system into four broad categories- Forward class, the Other Backward Caste (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Prominent Changes in the Caste System
Modernization and urbanization have led to increased occupational mobility among other castes in the hierarchy causing a decline in the supremacy of Brahmins. In the present-day context, the Weberian notion of one’s class positions ascends over one’s caste position.
In urban cities, industrialization has heralded new caste-free occupations that are solely based on technical skills which can be acquired through modern education only. Technological advancements have caused a massive transformation in contemporary society.
Sanskritization has caused positional changes and led to fluidity in the rigid caste structure. Newer avenues for employment have given an opportunity to lower castes to pursue a career of their choice breaking barriers that inhibited their growth.
Other milestones such as the special marriage act of 1954, the enactment of the untouchability offences act 1956, and the protective discrimination policy of the government have further enhanced the socio-economic conditions of various castes that were oppressed and denied equal treatment in the past.
The Dalit and backward class movements have not only discarded the basic tenets of abhorrence, impurity, and untouchability on the basis of castes but also forged a new vision for the Indian society.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is recognized as one of the greatest leaders of scheduled castes in India after his quest to free them from the tyranny of the Hindus. This has been of the most revolutionary changes in modern Indian society surfacing a new feeling of identity among the Dalits and the Backward classes.
Written by – Aishwarya Khandekar
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