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Cultural differences of north americans and indians
Social class and society
Differences between Indian and American cultures
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North American and Indian culture beliefs most likely do not have many things in common, but they do have some 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 of society are similar but they also have their differences. According to, Sociology: The Essentials, the term 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 or “a quality given to an individual by circumstances of birth” (Sociology 171). “This system is found …show more content…
In North America, it is not indicated as a caste system, but is classified as a social class or class system. In Sociology: The Essentials, social class or class is described as the social structural position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political, and cultural resources of society. With this characterization in mind, a persons “class determines the access different people have to these resources and puts groups in different positions of privilege and disadvantage” (Sociology 172). With this perception of class in mind, it shows that people do not have the same amount of resources or privileges as …show more content…
In history, it can be seen when the Jim Crow Laws were set in motion. In the PBS article, “Jim Crow Laws”, it is said that the Jim Crow laws are the segregation and disenfranchisement laws that represented a formal, codified system of racial apartheid that dominated the American South for three quarters of a century beginning in the 1890’s. These laws affected these laws that were set affected the majority of the black community, the school systems, restrooms, and several other things. “In legal theory, blacks received “separate but equal” treatment under the law”. This is what the government thought was “equal”, but regrettably that was certainly not the case. “In actuality, public facilities for blacks were nearly always inferior to those for whites, when they existed at all” (Jim Crow Laws). Unfortunately, racism is still seen today, but not as often as it had been in the last four decades or
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.
In history, it can be seen when the Jim Crow Laws were set in motion. In the PBS article, “Jim Crow Laws”, it is said that the Jim Crow laws are the segregation and disenfranchisement laws that represented a formal, codified system of racial apartheid that dominated the American South for three quarters of a century beginning in the 1890’s. These laws affected these laws that were set affected the majority of the black community, the school systems, restrooms, and several other things. “In legal theory, blacks received “separate but equal” treatment under the law”. This is what the government thought was “equal”, but regrettably that was certainly not the case. “In actuality, public facilities for blacks were nearly always inferior to those for whites, when they existed at all” (Jim Crow Laws). Unfortunately, racism is still seen today, but not as often as it had been in the last four decades or
In the earlier days of the 20th century, racism was largely black and white; today racism has become multicultural and multicolored. The period from 1890 to 1940 is known as the Jim Crow era in the history of prejudice against the African-Americans. Millions were brutalized, killed and frightened to death for voting and taking formal education, during these years. The concept of 'lynching', where the whites openly 'punished' the black population, was a rampant practice. White people would publicly hang black people for petty reasons, all over the country. Up through the middle of the twentieth century, for example, African Americans were denied access to certain public places, including hospitals, universities, and parks and were “granted admi...
Stratification systems, categorized people by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth/income. When people are categorized, start looking at different systems within the social system or social mobility. “The four main systems of stratification have been slavery, caste, estate, and class. Each of these systems allows greater or less flexibility in terms of social mobility. Social mobility is the ability to move up or down within a social stratification hierarchy” (Larkin, 2015). Slavery is a social status began with social norms allowing people to own others. The slaves had no wealth or power while under this social status. Caste systems are all aspects of social status are assigned at births and held forever,
After the Civil War, America was in a time of separation and segregation due to the southern state’s Jim Crow Laws. “Jim Crow laws restricted the rights of black people and kept them segregated from whites… On buses they had to sit at the rear and had to give up their seat whenever a white rider was left standing.” These Jim Crow laws caused Americans to be divided in the most superficial way possible: by the color of your skin. These laws existed for many years after the abolition of slavery. The problem was that black people had been told that they were being given freedom, but they were still treated like they were slaves. White people were willing to take the money of the black people, but they would not allow them to eat at the same restaurants as white people. “Blacks had to use separate restrooms, eat in separate restaurants, drink at s...
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.
In the United States, the problem of equality has never been more prevalent. Equality between race, age group and gender are some of the most common. One that really catches a lot of attention is race. The problem of race started when people from Africa were slave in the United States. Once President Abraham Lincoln free the slaves, the hatred towards the now free African Americans grew premensdly. This lead to segregation, and eventually the civil rights movement. The book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, discuss many topics regarding racism in the United States currently. One of the most interesting topics was the concept that racist is completely different from prejudice.
Culture is the one of the main reason, which makes American and Indian life styles totally different from each other. Both cultures have some advantages and disadvantages.
While the culture of America is a mixture of different cultures since each immigrant internally packed his or her previously known culture, but sooner they will become Americanized, but on the other hand the Indian culture is unique and has its own values. India is a captivating country full of humble traditions, lively festivals, and honest beliefs. India has an enormous bundle of religions and languages, with Hindi and Punjabi being the most popular in most of the cities. The vast geographic location of India, and America have contributed to the rise of new cultures; each characterized with different styles of marriages, education system, and family relationships. The first difference between American culture and Indian culture is marriage.
The categorization of a caste descends as low as “untouchables.” This term was ascribed to people that were considered so tainted that they were not to be touched by the other castes, and they were not allowed to even be in sight of the upper class. One could postulate that this is quite similar to the antiquated belief that African Americans were “unclean” and should be segregated from Caucasians.
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...
In each society, there are different types of rules and ideologies that are used in order to help govern its people. Within these communities, these rules create a social hierarchy developed through a ranked system based on either economic value or religious beliefs. A type of ranked system that most people are familiar with is the Caste System in India, which is a system of classification in a society based on birth. This complex social structure is most prevalent in India, where social hierarchy is in affiliation with Hinduism. It recognizes two concepts known as Varna and Jati. Varna is a word in Sanskrit meaning color and includes four main groups: the Brahmans, Kshtriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. The fifth group, the most segregated caste in the system, is the Untouchables. Within each Varna contains an array of sub-caste called Jatis, which are also based on birth. The rules of the cases are governed through religious ideas of purity and pollution. These two socially constructed ideologies determine whether or not you were respected in the community. Caste assignments in India are predestined at birth rather than a personal choice. Individuals act and dress like those of their own caste in public, due to strict caste laws. Pressures of these rules tend to brainwash people into conforming into what society considers pure, as we’ll see in Kakar & Kakar’s reading. As human nature takes precedent, caste rules become less relevant. Indulging in one’s own desires or needs, especially during times of hardship, outweighs any types of rules that we’ll see in Freeman’s reading and the movie Distant Thunder. Though the caste system is such an intrinsic part of life, when faced with needs to survive, it becomes nothing more than just a...
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.
Social stratification has granted me a higher understanding of Social Stratification Systems. After researching the world of Stratification Systems I have been able to explore the way that Social Stratification and Stratification Systems. Stratification Systems is the way the people are placed into a specific category that is dedicated fulfilling society’s needs. “Social Stratification enables a society to maintain life by slotting people into groups and institutions to fulfill the jobs and roles that meet the society’s basic needs” (Larkin, 2015) Three of the most known cast systems are class, slavery, and caste.
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...