"The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic instance of social classification based on castes."
A social hierarchy in which a person's position is determined by birth and remains fixed for life.
Definition of caste system: A hierarchical social organization based on birth, occupation, and social status.
Historical development of caste system: The origins and evolution of the caste system in India, including its intersection with religion, culture, and politics.
Caste-based discrimination: The various forms of discrimination and oppression faced by lower castes in Indian society, such as access to education, health care, and economic opportunities.
Caste mobility: The degree to which individuals can move up or down the social hierarchy based on factors such as education, occupation, and marriage.
Inter-caste marriages: The norms and attitudes surrounding marriages across different castes, and the ways in which such marriages impact the social structure.
Caste politics: The role of caste in shaping political power, policies, and representation in India, and the impact of caste on voting patterns.
Caste-based violence: The prevalence and patterns of caste-based violence in India, and the state response to such violence.
Critiques of the caste system: Contemporary and historical critiques of the caste system, including voices from within and outside Indian society.
Legal and policy interventions: The ways in which Indian legal and policy frameworks have sought to address caste discrimination and inequality, including affirmative action policies.
Global perspectives: The impact of global trends and movements on the caste system, including diaspora communities and their engagement with caste-based identities and practices.
The Indian Caste System: This system is based on Hinduism and is prevalent in India. It divides people into four broad classes: the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
The Japanese Caste System: This system was abolished in the 19th century, but its remnants can still be seen in Japanese society. It divided people into four main classes: samurai, peasants, artisans, and merchants.
The Latin American Caste System: This system was created during the colonial period and was based on race and ancestry. It separated people into various categories, including peninsulares, criollos, mestizos, and mulattos.
The South African Apartheid System: This system was based on race and divided people into four categories: blacks, whites, coloreds, and Asians.
The Burakumin Caste System: This system is still prevalent in Japan and is based on ancestral occupations. People who were once butchers, leather-tanners, and executioners are still considered to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
The Osu Caste System: This system is prevalent in Nigeria and is based on ancestry. People who are born into certain families are considered to be outcasts and are subjected to various forms of discrimination.
The Caste System in Mauritania: This system is based on descent and is prevalent in Mauritania in West Africa. People who are born into certain families are considered to be slaves and are subjected to various forms of discrimination.
"The caste system consists of two different concepts, varna and jati, which may be regarded as different levels of analysis of this system."
"The caste system as it exists today is thought to be the result of developments during the collapse of the Mughal era and the rise of the British colonial government in India."
"The British Raj furthered this development, making rigid caste organization a central mechanism of administration."
"Caste was no longer used by the colonial authority to functionally organize civil society. This reflected changes in administrative practices, understandings of expertise, and the rise of new European scholarly institutions."
"In 1948, negative discrimination on the basis of caste was banned by law and further enshrined in the Indian constitution in 1950."
"There are 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes in India, each related to a specific occupation."
"Caste-based differences have also been practiced in other regions and religions in the Indian subcontinent, like Nepalese Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism."
"It (the caste system) has been challenged by many reformist Hindu movements, Sikhism, Christianity, and present-day Indian Buddhism."
"With Indian influences, the caste system is also practiced in Bali."
"India after achieving independence in 1947 enacted many affirmative action policies for the upliftment of historically marginalized groups as enforced through its constitution."
"These policies included reserving a quota of places for these groups in higher education and government employment."
"It (the caste system) was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mughal Empire and the British Raj."
"Social unrest during the 1920s led to a change in this policy."
"Between 1860 and 1920, the British incorporated the Indian caste system into their system of governance, granting administrative jobs and senior appointments only to Christians and people belonging to certain castes."
"It (the caste system) is today the basis of affirmative action programs in India as enforced through its constitution."
"After the 1920s, the colonial administration began a policy of positive discrimination by reserving a certain percentage of government jobs for the lower castes."
"There are 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes in India, each related to a specific occupation."
"It (the caste system) was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mughal Empire and the British Raj."
"These policies included reserving a quota of places for these groups in higher education and government employment."