The Caste System in Indian Society

1706 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The caste system of the early Indian civilization

Since the diversifying and unification of America, each of its citizens -born and migrated- has enjoyed the freedom of accession into different economic and social classes. Before this freedom was given, other systems of the social classes were implemented in various countries setting the example of inequality, which has therefore inspired the freedoms that American’s enjoy. As apprentices of life, one has studied the periods in history where these systems of social classes lie. The most common one that is studied is the Feudal system where little room for accession is made, but there was another system tin existence in India. This system was known as the Caste System. Today we are going to explore how the caste system works, how it is related to Hinduism and its similarities and differences to the feudal system,
First, to understand what the caste system is, we need to know what caste means. Caste is derived from the polish word “casta” which means race (History of the Caste System). Although it was called a race, it actually is a birthright in an immovable hierarchal system. In the caste system one is born into one of the four varnas or class orders (How the Caste system is broken down). The four varnas are the Brahmin [Bra-min], priests and teachers, the Kshatryia [Kshot-ree-ya], warriors and kings, the Vaishya [Vy-sy-ya], merchants and landowners and the Sudra [sue-da-rah] which are the commoners, servants and peasants (The Hindu Caste System). For those who do not fit into any of these categories they are known as the untouchables. The untouchables are the people who do the dirty work, literally, like street sweeper or toilet cleaners (The Caste System). This system was constructed to organized society based on economic and ...

... middle of paper ...

...//www.mtholyoke.edu/~epandit/page2.html>.
"How The Caste System is Broken Down India Titan Team 2013." India- Titian Team 2013. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .
"India:Caste System--《Journal of F.a.c》2002年03期." China National Knowledge Infrastructure --- Download Paper. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
"Medieval Feudal Hierarchy." Hierarchy. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. .
Ms. Pojer. "The Caste System." Historyteacher.net Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Pruthi, Raj. Indian Caste System. New Delhi: Discovery Publishing House, 2004. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Indian Caste System Dbq

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast India And Caste System

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    North American and Indian culture beliefs may not have many things in common, but they do have similarities in how their societies are separated. The caste system in India and the social class or class system in North America is how these societies or cultures divide their population. These two structures are similar but they also have their differences. According to, Sociology: The Essentials, caste system is defined as a system of stratification (characterized by low social mobility) in which one’s place in the stratification system is determined by birth. This is also acknowledged as an ascribed status.

    Read More

  • Is America Still "The Land of Opportunity"?

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dictionary.com defines a caste system as “a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion” This means someone born into a low caste cannot move up to a higher caste because of this system. Although a caste system is not a set of laws, it is almost never broken because the caste system has been in place for so long.

    Read More

  • The Caste System: History and Highlights

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    The caste system of India originated from the “strict societal class distinction between the nobility and the common people” that the Aryans brought to the Indus Valley in the early 1500s BCE (Cunningham, Reich, Fichner-Rathus 163). The Aryans, who migrated from Europe, invaded and imposed their will upon the indigenous people of the Indus valley in order to build a control system that would keep them at the top and their blood line untainted. This social ranking system that they implemented has been a staple in Indian society ever since and has undergone many changes over the last thirty-five hundred years. A person’s rank in society was acquired through birth rites and was permanent. It was believed that a person’s rank could only be changed in the next life after death. “Movement from one rank to another was believed to be connected to good or bad deeds during one’s lifetime” (163).

    Read More

  • Krishna/Hinduism Worldview

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are four main castes and one in which they consider to be the outcastes. The four main castes are the Brahmin, the next is the Kshatriya, the third is the Vaishya, and the fourth is the Shudra. The outcastes are in the group called Dalits. Each caste has a purpose in life, the Brahmin are considered to be the priestly caste in which they are teach the Veda, and are to “sacrifice for others and receive alms” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Kshatriya is considered the warriors or the ruler caste, they have constant practice in battles, and they are to protect the world from harm. The Vaishya are to be the merchants and the farmers, they tend to the cattle, they, “engage in farming, keeps cows, trades, lends money at interest, and grows seeds” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Shudra are the manual laborers who according to the Institutes of Vishnu under the Four Castes, are to serve the twice born men who are to sacrifice and to study the Veda, the Shudra also engage in all the different duties of craftsmanship (5-10, pg.44). In case of a crisis, each caste is allowed to follow the occupation of the caste that is below them in rank. The duties in which all four of these castes, whatever gender or stage of life, are to follow and hav...

    Read More

  • History Of Social Stratification

    6470 Words  | 13 Pages

    An endogenous and hereditary subdivision of ethnic unit, occupying a position of superior or inferior rank, or social esteem, in comparison with other such subdivisions. Caste is a special form of social class, which in tendency is present in every society to an extent. They have emerged into social consciousness to the point that custom and law attempt their rigid and permanent separation from one another.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Edwind and R.A. Seligman(ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Science, Vol. III (New York: Mac Millan Company, 1963), p.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of the Values of Classical India, China, and Persia

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular, provides two sources of support in regards to the social structure of the era. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to The Rig Veda when Purusha’s body was divided “his mouth became the brāhman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By splitting up the body in this way, there was a justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or Brahmin’s were the priest class, who were also known as the most pure. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which is reflective of them being his mouth. The next upper division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to do the fighting which was reflective of them being Purusha’s arms. The artisan/farmer or middle class was known as the vaisyas. In this class, members represented the role of the thighs of Purusha, who were responsible for doing the brunt or tougher jobs in society. The nethermost social class was the sudra, who were serfs and servants. They represented the feet of Pursha, which is reflective of their status as the lowest class. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as a written guideline for the varna. These works urged the concept of doin...

    Read More

  • Representations of Nature in King Lear

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are lucky, today, that the majority of the world’s nations are democracies. This has only been the case in very recent times. For the greater part of human history, society has subscribed to the belief that birth is the most important determinant of one’s future. In Elizabethan England, this was especially true. Those born into the nobility enjoyed a lifetime of privilege, while those born outside of their ranks mainly existed to serve them. A century later, the British encountered an even stricter form of this belief when they conquered India. The Hindu caste system, which dictated one’s future based on birth just as British society did, was deemed even by the English to be excessively restrictive. After gaining control of the Subcontinent, the conquerors attempted to supplant the caste system with the semblance of a meritocracy. The new subjects of the Empire, instead of embracing this imposition of a foreign culture’s values, responded with general unrest and discontent, showing that no society, no matter how unfair or prejudiced, tolerates interference well. Shakespeare’s King Lear demonstrates the same concept: that any violation of society’s conception of the natural order brings chaos, and that the only way to restore harmony is to conform to the expectations of that society.

    Read More

  • Hinduism, Tolerance, and Individuality

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    The four main stages of life in Hinduism also take the caste system into account. The first stage is that of a student, being led by a teacher. T...

    Read More

  • Escaping Poverty: The Importance of Location

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Portuguese word casta means race, or breed, and Hindus have traditionally interpreted this as different levels of society, known as the caste system used in India (“India caste system”). The caste placements are commonly associated with a specific occupation, for example, a priest is a member of the Brahmin caste, and a merchant is a member of the Vaishya caste (“BBC - The caste system”). A Hindu is born into the caste that their parents are ‘members’ of, and as a member of that caste, they must marry in the caste, perform the expected occupation of that caste and eventually die as a member of said caste. The lowest caste of the system are the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’ as they are more commonly known. Members of this caste are also born into it, but because of their extreme conditions of living in poverty, they were too despicable to be considered a part of the caste system. These ‘untouchables’ were usually found begging on the streets and did not have a job that fell into the categories of the caste system, therefore were severely looked down upon by all othe...

    Read More

  • The Criticism Of Intersectionality

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Owing to India’s diversity, these identities are determined by caste, ancestry, socioeconomic class, religion, sexual orientation and geographic location, and play an important role in determining the social position of an individual (Anne, Callahan & Kang, 2011). Within this diversity, certain identities are privileged over others, due to social hierarchies and inequalities, whose roots are more than a thousand years old. These inequalities have marginalized groups and communities which is evident from their meagre participation in politics, access to health and education services and

    Read More

  • Caste System in India

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pandey, T.N., 2014. Lecture 1/14/14: Cultures of India: Hierarchy Structure in India. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.

    Read More

  • Social Stratification And Social Class

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caste System is a social system based on ascribed statuses, which are traits or characteristics of people at birth. The ascribed status includes race, gender, nationality, body type and age. The caste system ranks people so rigidly. A person cannot just change his caste any time he wants.

    Read More

  • The Dividing Force of Religion

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divided into four major social categories, the caste system categorizes Hindus, who act accordingly to their caste, into Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Sudra. Another class, the “untouchables,” is considered outside of the system. These five different classes of society define each person greatly. Castes are unchangeable and rarely intermarry. This social division is yet another example of how religion disbands organizations of people.

    Read More

  • Impact Of British Colonialism on the Indian Caste System

    2707 Words  | 6 Pages

    The current manifestations of the caste system are now far more generalized across the Indian subcontinent than was the case in former times. Caste as we now recognize has been endangered, shaped and perpetuated by comparatively recent political and social developments. This is evident even i...

    Read More

More about The Caste System in Indian Society

Open Document