ANTHROP 2202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Caste System In India, Ascribed Status, Social Stratification
15 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Hindu scriptures are taken as the foundation source for defining the major social categories called varnas-meaning color. 4 varnas: brahmans-priests, kshatriyas-warriors vaishyaas-merchants, shudras-laborers beneath the four groups are people ranked so low that they are outside the system sometimes called untouchables because the upper varnas don"t touch them in order to remain pure. Mahatma gandhi-tried to rename them harijans which means children of god in his attempt to raise their status to that of the shudras. Dalit-the preferred name for the socially defined lowest groups in the indian caste system, the name means oppressed or ground down. Jatis-anthemic term that conveys the meaning that a hindu is born into his or her group, ascribed status there are many subgroups within each category and divided based on lineage ties. Dominate caste-refers to the tendency for one caste in any particular village to control most of the land and often to be numerically preponderant.
