the World
In this lesson, learners will travel around the world to explore how caste systems have influenced societies, why it is important to distinguish between caste and race, and how caste is a historic social structure that is as alive today as it was a thousand years ago.
Lesson Two
Objectives
By the end of the lesson, participants will be able to:
- Identify and explain the key components of the caste system.
- Analyze how the caste system functions as a social hierarchy in different parts of the world.
- Examine the social roles and expectations associated with different caste groups.
By the end of the lesson, participants will be able to:
- Identify and explain the key components of the caste system.
- Analyze how the caste system functions as a social hierarchy in different parts of the world.
- Examine the social roles and expectations associated with different caste groups.
How We Got Here:
The Origins of Caste
WHAT IS CASTE?
According to Human Rights Watch, caste is a hereditary structure that is assigned at birth. It is inherited from the family one is born into and cannot be changed at any point in one’s life. Caste systems assure the dominance of certain groups over others by policing the boundaries among people. While caste is often identified with Indian society, it is a global phenomenon that shows up in many different ways.
WHAT ARE HIERARCHIES?
Hierarchies are social stratifications that refer to the categorization of people, in which each group has different access to resources and social standing. Social hierarchies have been established, institutionalized and normalized to uphold power and supremacy in societies. One way to identify caste is to know that a hierarchy must be present with one group over and above or under and below another. In a caste system, higher-status groups have more access to material resources, social capital and opportunities compared to their lower-status counterparts.
CASTE IS EVERYWHERE
During the Jim Crow era in the United States, white individuals had access to better jobs, schools and public facilities, while Black citizens were systematically denied the same opportunities. During World War II, in Nazi Germany, Division and classification based on ideology and racial myths led to the elevation of those who called themselves Aryans, in contrast to the persecution of Jewish people, Romani people and countless others.
How We Got Here:
The Origins of Caste
WHAT IS CASTE?
According to Human Rights Watch, caste is a hereditary structure that is assigned at birth. It is inherited from the family one is born into and cannot be changed at any point in one’s life. Caste systems assure the dominance of certain groups over others by policing the boundaries among people. While caste is often identified with Indian society, it is a global phenomenon that shows up in many different ways.
WHAT ARE HIERARCHIES?
Hierarchies are social stratifications that refer to the categorization of people, in which each group has different access to resources and social standing. Social hierarchies have been established, institutionalized and normalized to uphold power and supremacy in societies. One way to identify caste is to know that a hierarchy must be present with one group over and above or under and below another. In a caste system, higher-status groups have more access to material resources, social capital and opportunities compared to their lower-status counterparts.
CASTE IS EVERYWHERE
During the Jim Crow era in the United States, white individuals had access to better jobs, schools and public facilities, while Black citizens were systematically denied the same opportunities. During World War II, in Nazi Germany, Division and classification based on ideology and racial myths led to the elevation of those who called themselves Aryans, in contrast to the persecution of Jewish people, Romani people and countless others.
Image Credit: Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection, MFA Boston
Brahma “At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma’s head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma’s feet and did all the menial jobs. Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots — the Dalits or the Untouchables.” — BBC, “What is India’s Caste System?”
A MAN-MADE HIERARCHY
Caste in South Asia represents a system of rigid, man-made hierarchical system, with four main groups ranked by birth and occupation. In India, for example, caste derives its legitimacy from Hindu scripture and doctrine. Within each of these broad groups, there are hundreds of sub-castes defined by occupation, dialect, geography and more. On the very top are the Brahmins, known to have been priests, legislators and keepers of knowledge. Below them in status are the Kshatriyas, who were known to be kings and warriors. They are followed by the Vaishyas, traditionally known as the business or merchant class. These three classes are known as the upper castes.
At the bottom of the hierarchy are the Shudras, known to have been laborers and peasants.
Excluded from the four-fold caste hierarchy, but still within the caste infrastructure, the Dalits (also called Untouchables or the Scheduled Tribes), belong to the lowest stratum of castes in South Asia. Today, Dalit, Adivasi (the indigenous groups in South Asia) and Shudra castes are collectively referred to as the Bahujan community.
A MAN-MADE HIERARCHY
Caste in South Asia represents a system of rigid, man-made hierarchical system, with four main groups ranked by birth and occupation. In India, for example, caste derives its legitimacy from Hindu scripture and doctrine. Within each of these broad groups, there are hundreds of sub-castes defined by occupation, dialect, geography and more. On the very top are the Brahmins, known to have been priests, legislators and keepers of knowledge. Below them in status are the Kshatriyas, who were known to be kings and warriors. They are followed by the Vaishyas, traditionally known as the business or merchant class. These three classes are known as the upper castes.
At the bottom of the hierarchy are the Shudras, known to have been laborers and peasants.
Excluded from the four-fold caste hierarchy, but still within the caste infrastructure, the Dalits (also called Untouchables or the Scheduled Tribes), belong to the lowest stratum of castes in South Asia. Today, Dalit, Adivasi (the indigenous groups in South Asia) and Shudra castes are collectively referred to as the Bahujan community.
“At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma’s head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma’s feet and did all the menial jobs. Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots — the Dalits or the Untouchables.” — BBC, “What is India’s Caste System?”
Where one is located in this caste hierarchy determines one’s access to public resources and opportunities. From basic needs such as water, housing and education to earned opportunities from employment such as land ownership and wealth-building, caste systems control how a person is positioned in their community and even their ability to have social interaction with others outside of and within their caste. Attempts to step outside the boundaries of the caste hierarchy are met with threats of social ostracism, boycotts and violence.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar points to some specific manifestations of expectations within a caste-based social hierarchy in Indian society wherein, “the Untouchable was not allowed to use the public streets if a Hindu was coming along, lest he should pollute the Hindu by his shadow. The Untouchable was required to have a black thread either on his wrist or around his neck, as a sign or a mark to prevent the Hindus from getting themselves polluted by his touch by mistake. In Poona, the capital of Peshwa, the Untouchable was required to carry, strung from his waist, a broom to sweep away from behind himself the dust he trod on, lest a Hindu walking on the same dust should be polluted.”
The place in which one is located in this caste hierarchy determines one’s access to public resources and opportunities. From basic needs such as water, housing and education to opportunities and employment, land ownership and wealth-building, caste systems control how a person is positioned in their community as well as their ability to have social interaction with others outside of and within their caste. Attempts to step outside the boundaries of the caste hierarchy are met with threats of social ostracism, boycotts and violence.
Dalit icon and activist Dr. B.R. Ambedkar explains the plights of those in lower castes as, “the Untouchables were not allowed to use the public streets if a Hindu was coming along, lest he should pollute the Hindu by his shadow. The Untouchable was required to have a black thread either on his wrist or around his neck, as a sign or a mark to prevent the Hindus from getting themselves polluted by his touch by mistake. In Poona, the capital of Peshwa, the Untouchable was required to carry, strung from his waist, a broom to sweep away from behind himself the dust he trod on, lest a Hindu walking on the same dust should be polluted.”
Video Credit: Sujatha Gidla, HuffPost
“Sujatha Gidla was born into India’s lowest social caste, the Untouchables. Despite moving to the U.S., the psychological toll of being Untouchable left her feeling inferior for years.” Source: HuffPost
“Sujatha Gidla was born into India’s lowest social caste, the Untouchables. Despite moving to the U.S., the psychological toll of being Untouchable left her feeling inferior for years.” Source: HuffPost