Short notes
Caste system in India
Caste System In India
Definition
1. “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development”
Thinkers
- Kinship Studies in India – Irawati Karve
Structure
Definition
Folklore: Oraons linked themselves with Hanuman Ji, their name derived from “O-Ram.”
Thinkers
- Kinship Studies in India – Irawati Karve
- Andre Béteille – Studies in Agrarian Social Structure
Characteristics
Definition
Drives cycle of suffering until Moksha is attained.
Example / case study
- over-consumption of resources → karma teaches restraint.
Thinkers
- Kinship Studies in India – Irawati Karve: “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development”.
Varna
Definition
1. “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development”
Example / case study
- even Brahmins of Maharashtra showed diversity, not homogeneity.
Caste
Definition
1. “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development”
Example / case study
- Herbert Risley: Racial theory of caste; The People of India.
- Thurston: Castes & Tribes of Southern India.
- Beginning: Institutionalisation of anthropology (Dept. of Anthropology, Calcutta University – 1920).
- Nature: Empirical fieldwork, study of social institutions.
Thinkers
- Kinship Studies in India – Irawati Karve
Theories Of Origin Of Caste System
Definition
1. “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development”
Example / case study
- even Brahmins of Maharashtra showed diversity, not homogeneity.
Dominant Caste
Definition
Shift: From tribal to village studies.
Thinkers
- Iravati Karve – Caste, kinship, family.: Analytical Phase (1950–1990).
- 4. Evaluative Phase (1990–Present) (not Vidyarthi’s original)
- Christophe Jaffrelot — two-step rise of Hindu nationalism: stigmatise an ‘other’ as a common enemy; then unify Hindus across caste, class and region.
Caste Mobility
Definition
Lingayat Rajas (till 1830) replaced by British.
Example / case study
- Satrol Khap → First to allow inter-caste marriage.
- Boora Khap → anti-dowry & marriage expenditure minimum.
- Narwal Khap → helpline vs child marriage, feticide & gender violence.
- 👉 Despite liberal steps(women akhadas, fund for athletics), male dominance persists → Khap = tradition + modernity mix.
Thinkers
- Yogendra Singh – Sanskritization = cultural camouflage for caste conflict.
Future Of Caste System
Definition
Blend of tradition + modernity.
Example / case study
- Satrol Khap → First to allow inter-caste marriage.
- Boora Khap → anti-dowry & marriage expenditure minimum.
- Narwal Khap → helpline vs child marriage, feticide & gender violence.
- 👉 Despite liberal steps(women akhadas, fund for athletics), male dominance persists → Khap = tradition + modernity mix.
Jajmani System. Tribe-Caste Continuum
Definition
Traditional social order – authentic & scientific account of trad social order.
Thinkers
- B.K. Roy Burman – majority of tribes became landless labourers; caste gave no security.
- Applied Anthro- Birhor Action Research Project – L.P. Vidyarthi