People are placed into fixed social groups in a caste system under a hierarchy that often relies on discriminatory notions of ritual “p🍃urity” and “contaminationꦇ.” The Indian caste system is the most widely cited and one of the earliest examples.

Castes carry hereditary occupations. The system is also endogamous. Marriages and social relations typically occur within a rigidly ordered ranking system.

Historical Background of the Caste System

The word "caste" was used by the Portuguese to describe Indian society in the 16th century. It derives from “casta" which loosely translates to “race” or “breed.”

The roots of caste are ancient. There's some articulation of it in the Rigveda, a collection of Hindu sacred hymns written in 1500 BCE, and in the Manusmruti, a moral and legal framework of the Hindu code. These texts establish fundamental elements of caste, according to some scholars. These elements include a social ranking based on ideas of ritual purity and forced social exclusion, according to some scholars.

It wasn’t until the centuries just before British rule that the modern caste system became socially pivotal, however. Caste became a method for distinguishing social strata and establishing legitimacy with the splintering of the Mughals, the series of Islamic rulers in India. This was amplified later during the British Raj. Caste became a convenient tool for the British to understand and control social dynamics on the subcontinent.

Forms of caste discrimination aren't tracked in international measures to reduce inequality such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but some researchers argue that these classifications affect as much as a fifth of the world’s population, particularly in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:South Asia. They represent “not an archaic ritual system but a dynamic aspect of modern economies.”

Structure of the Caste System

People are slotted into four “varnas” under the caste system. They're based predominantly on family lineage and they practice social exclusion: eating, working, and marrying within their group. They have a set hierarchy. Each varna has a line of work associated with it and they're handed down through family lines.

Brahmins are at the top of the structure. They're priests and scholars. Then there are Kshatriyas, political leaders and warriors. Vaishyas are the next rung. They're merchants. Shudras are fourth in the hierarchy. They're laborers, artisans, peasants, and servants.

There’s another group beneath this hierarchy: Dalit, sometimes referred to as the “untouchables.” They perform work that’s considered undignified or “befouling” and this may not even be considered a proper caste. The system considers Dalits to be “unclean” and interaction with them can supposedly pollute other castes.

Jatis are further subdivisions within varnas. Caste systems are more fluid with jatis, according to sociologists. They evolve over time and differ across regions. There are thousands of jatis and social restrictions tend to be determined by jati status. The specific impact of jati status can be complicated due to regional variances.

Social and Cultural Sign꧙ificance of the Caste System

Caste systems are reliant on ancient notions of ritual purity but they can still hold contemporary implicati🃏ons for social relationships, marriage, and occupation.

Indians report that many of their relationships occur within rather than between caste hierarchy groups, according to polling from the nonprofit Pew Research Center. Roughly a quarter of Indians also report that all their friends belong to the same caste. The common perception is that caste-based discrimination isn't extensive but a notable share of people within Brahmin, the highest caste, report that they wouldn't accept someone from the lower end of the hierarchy as a neighbor.

Castes aren't confined to Hinduism. They impact virtually all Indians.

“South Asians of all religions identify with caste,” the Hindu American Foundation reports. “Muslims do it; Christians do it; so do Sikhs. In fact, even reformist sects of Hinduism animated in large part by a desire to ease caste discrimination, such as the Lingayats, eventually do it. Caste appears to be an enduring and endemic aspect of life in India, and throughout South Asia.”

Controversies and Criticisms of the Caste 🍸System

The system isn't supposed to be officially endorsed in contemporary India. The 1950 Indian constitution tried to upend the caste system, outlawing exclusion based on class and attempting to enshrine 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:social justice. India has also experienced affirmative action since the country’s independence.

International human rights advocates tend to view castes as a driver of inequality. Caste represents a “hidden apartheid” that creates a segregated society, according to Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit human rights advocacy group.

International functionaries have also begun to denounce caste. Rita Izsák-Ndiaye, a former U.N. Special Rapporteur on minority issues, described caste systems as a form of “appalling and dehumanizing discrimination.” Izsák-Nd꧃iaye stressed in a 2016 presentation related to the first comprehensive United Nations report on caste discrimination that castes go against international principles of universal human dignity and equality by creating “sup𓃲erior” and “inferior” groups.

Caste also reinforces the poor 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:socioeconomic conditions of vulnerable populations by limiting their rights, Izsák-Ndiaye argued, adding that attempts to overturn these systems can be met with violence.

Legal and Social Reforms of the Caste System

Several legal and social reforms have attempted to curtail caste discrimination. India runs an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:affirmative action program that's written into its constitution. It includes hiring quotas that favor formerly “untouchable” jatis for public jobs. This is perhaps the most controversial of its reforms.

It was originally focused on formerly oppressed jatis but the reservation system was expanded and broadened in 2019 through a constitutional amendment. “Economically weaker groups,” a category that includes some from higher castes, are now entitled to resources that are set aside. This has refocused the system away from historical castes and onto economic status, drawing criticism.

Contemporary Perspectives of the Caste System

Caste appears to continue to have a significant influence on inequality in South Asia and in parts of Africa. David Mosse, a professor of social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, wrote that “caste is a resource” with pervasive effects. Mosse argues that these classifications affect as much as a fifth of the world’s population, particularly in South Asia. They represent “not an archaic ritual system but a dynamic aspect of modern economies.”

Some believe that the market economy within India will ultimately erode caste. Dalit businessperson Chandra Bhan Prasad has commented that 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:capitalism is poised to “subvert and destroy the caste system from the inside.”

But others take the view that expanded access to markets has only “partially liberated” formerly oppressed workers. Debt continues to bind some workers to unfavorable circumstances. Some Dalit researchers suggest that caste is relatively unscathed, arguing that reforms have superficially reduced caste inequality but that there have been “no changes at the structural level” with proscriptions against discrimination often remaining unenforced, particularly in rural areas.

Caste discrimination isn't tracked in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, an international measure meant to reduce inequality. Researchers have found evidence that caste continues to influence life outcomes, however, something that was exacerbated by the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:COVID-19 pandemic.

The Caste System Beyond India

Caste continues to be a force to be reckoned with in rural India but it also impacts other countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. There are structurally similar systems in Japan such as the bukaru, a subclass of people affiliated with “impure” jobs like butchery.

Some activists in the United States such as Prem Pariyar argue that discrimination has followed Indian immigrants into the country, causing those in the “lower” castes to suffer employment and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:housing discrimination. This has led to bills aimed at writing caste into existing protections. A bill in California would have made it the first state to ban caste-based discrimination. It won legislative approval but it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2023.

The Bottom Line

A caste system is a strict social stratification that often depends on discriminatory conceptions of purity or contamination that are passed on through family lines. It can be illegal but caste discrim๊ination continues to 🐻shape opportunities and life outcomes, especially for people in South Asia. It can follow communities around the world. There have bee𝐆n advocacy efforts to prohibit discrimination based on caste in the U.S.