The Caste System: History and Highlights

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In every civilization there exists a hierarchy that is accepted by the people that are a part of it. This hierarchy, which is present in all societies, is called a class system and usually includes an upper class, a middle class, and a lower class. The upper class consists of those who are the richest in a society, the middle class consists of the working people, and the lower class consists of the poorest people. There is one class system that consists of five tiers, including one that is below its lower class, and differs from any other system; the caste system of India. In a caste system, the class that is received is hereditary and cannot be changed like in other societies. The civilization of India has an extensive history with this longstanding and controversial caste system that has evolved over time and is still in place today. 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). The ranks ... ... middle of paper ... ...e most privileges, while the Dalit, or untouchables, remain the lowest and are subjected the same inhumane conditions. Works Cited • Cunningham, Lawrence S., John J. Reich, and Lois Fichner-Rathus. Culture & Values: A Survey of the Humanities. Boston: Clark Baxter, 2014. Print. • Woodburne, A. S. "Can India's Caste System Survive in Modern Life?” The Journal of Religion, Vol. 2, No. 5. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pgs. 525-537. Web Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1195112 • Junghare, Indira Y. “Dr. Ambedkar: The Hero of the Mahars, Ex-Untouchables of India” Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 47, No. 1. Nagoya: Nanzan University 1988 pgs. 93-121. Web Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1178254 • Dalton, Dennis. “Mahatma Gandhi Selected Political Writings.” Indianapolis, Indiana. 1996. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 125. Text

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