Caste: punishment (or reward) for your past lives. (Reuters/Amit Dave)
The caste system of India (by -1000) grew out of Hinduism and divides society from high to low into four main castes. On paper it has been done away with, but in practice it still shapes how people act and think, even if it is not as strong as it used to be.
According to Hinduism the god Brahma created people from his body:
- Brahmans came from his mouth. They became the priests.
- Kshatriyas came from his arms. They became the rulers and soldiers.
- Vaisyas came from his thighs. They became the merchants and farmers.
- Sudras came from his feet. They became servants, labourers and craftsmen.
Each of these castes in turn is divided into hundreds if not thousands of subcastes determined by occupation, region, family, etc.
Dalits, aka the Scheduled Caste, aka the Untouchables (not a nice word for them), are so low they do not even count as a proper caste. They clean human waste, kill animals, etc. The dirty work. Literally. See the picture above.
Lifelong: Caste is something you are born into and is for life. You are supposed to marry only within your caste. You are supposed to respect those of a higher caste (and can made to regret it if you do not). You do not have to respect those from a lower caste.
Perfect social immobility: Unlike class, you cannot move up or down the caste system – except through reincarnation. The caste you were born into was determined by how good or bad you were in your past lives. Thanks to the law of karma the whole thing is perfectly just, at least according to Hinduism.
Skin colour: The Sanskrit word for caste is varna, and one of its meanings is colour. But while the upper castes tend to be lighter skinned, you cannot tell a person’s caste simply from their skin colour.
Class: The higher your caste the more likely you will be well off: it will be easier to get a good education, to know the right people, etc. But that is an effect not a cause. You cannot tell a person’s caste from their wealth or education. Even a Dalit can be a professor, for example, though it is way less likely than for, say, a Brahman.
Religion: Millions have converted to other religions, like Buddhism, Christianity or Islam, to escape the caste system. But caste is so much a part of Indian society that it still affects them.
Foreigners: In general lighter-skinned foreigners are treated with more respect than darker-skinned ones. White people are respected as if they were an upper caste.
Caste is being weakened by capitalism, democracy, and big-city life. But even those who do not seem to care much about caste will suddenly care when it comes to stuff like who to marry or who to hire. The government and universities try to set aside places for Dalits, for example, but they still face plenty of discrimination in the private sector. And crimes against them go largely unpunished.
– Abagond, 2018.
Sources: Mainly “Culture Smart India” (2010) by Becky Stephen.
See also:
- Welcome to Asian American History Month 2018
- India
- Hinduism
- Isabel Wilkerson: Caste – in India, Nazi Germany and the US
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Reblogged this on Project ENGAGE.
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@abagond
I like this type of information!
It shows the progress of the human. India has been behind; however, as they get more on line (electronic) information, many of the old foolishness separations will disappear.
Social change take many years to show a sign and than some big event happens and it appears as though great things have “just happened”.
This world is full of experience just like India only it is described differently. A hard look at the poor in Africa would produce almost the same type of breakdown. Usually the religion is used to maintain the separation because the less knowledge one has the more they are likely to be controlled by their religious believes.
When religion fails the banks and the rich create the separation. Pay attention to the current administration as it withdraws benefits from the poor. See how they are separating those that currently have “secured jobs” from those who are not as well prepared.
Who has time to read all of the reductions that are currently quietly being introduced, while the president makes loud noises to distract the public as the cabinet members are changing what is happening to the general public. Those with jobs are now sounding like they are superior to others.
“They need to get a job is the new cry”!
“Not my taxes”!
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“Who has time to read all of the reductions that are currently quietly being introduced, while the president makes loud noises to distract the public as the cabinet members are changing what is happening to the general public.”
So true. That is a feature, not a bug of all modern administrations.
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“On paper it has been done away with, but in practice it still shapes how people act and think, even if it is not as strong as it used to be”
“something you are born into and is for life”
“they still face plenty of discrimination in the private sector. And crimes against them go largely unpunished”
Hmm, sounds familiar…
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“But even those who do not seem to care much about caste will suddenly care when it comes to stuff like who to marry or who to hire.”
That’s for damn sure.
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Also, originally the Kshatriyas were the top caste but the Brahmins found them too oppressive, waged a war against them and won. That’s why they’re the top now.
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