Social stratification is one of the dominant features of the Indian society and there are certain characteristics by which it is determined. Aspects like caste, material possessions, status, power etc. are the key determinants in defining the collective framework of the Indian society. Social stratification is an issue that has been widely dealt with and a lot of literature upon this topic exists, Andre Beteille’s book, ‘Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village’ is one such book that has comprehensively covered this topic.
Andre Beteille is one of the India’s eminent sociologists and writers. He is the professor of sociology at the University of Delhi since 2003 and was elected as a Fellow of British …show more content…
And these were the predominant castes in the village. It was not just the physical segregation and ritual differentiation that was seen in the village but also the position of a villager in the agrarian class system and the power hierarchy was further determined by his/her caste. It was always the Brahmins who were socially, economically and politically dominant and maintained their supremacy over other castes.
Beteille analyses the economic organization in the village in terms of production, distribution and exchange. He also refers to the class system as a system of social relations as there exists mutual dependence between different sections of the society. For e.g. a piece of land owned by a Brahmin was hired by a non-Brahmin which was further cultivated by an …show more content…
Beteille used Weber’s concepts of class, status and power and also adopts a narrower perspective like Marx in defining the class relations. He divides the classes into landowners, tenants and agricultural labourers and therefore does not emphasise much on all the villagers who were involved in activities like crafting, making pottery, white collar occupations etc. He also never mentions anything about the education of the girl child and religious systems, other than Hinduism in Sripuram if at all they existed.
Throughout the book the author not only puts forward certain questions such as what happens to the villager when he goes to live in a city or town, to what extent are economic and political systems detached from caste etc. but also answers most of them. However, Andre Beteille did not analyse what would become of caste structure if class and power were isolated from it.
In conclusion, Dr. Andre Beteille’s study is inspiring, scholarly and well-articulated. The book is particularly important for the very valuable information it contains and is a good example of what is called a fieldwork. This study will be of great interest to several sociologists and social-anthropologists and also to the readers who want to understand the social stratification in traditional societies and the change that it has
Andre Beteille is one of the India’s eminent sociologists and writers. He is the professor of sociology at the University of Delhi since 2003 and was elected as a Fellow of British …show more content…
And these were the predominant castes in the village. It was not just the physical segregation and ritual differentiation that was seen in the village but also the position of a villager in the agrarian class system and the power hierarchy was further determined by his/her caste. It was always the Brahmins who were socially, economically and politically dominant and maintained their supremacy over other castes.
Beteille analyses the economic organization in the village in terms of production, distribution and exchange. He also refers to the class system as a system of social relations as there exists mutual dependence between different sections of the society. For e.g. a piece of land owned by a Brahmin was hired by a non-Brahmin which was further cultivated by an …show more content…
Beteille used Weber’s concepts of class, status and power and also adopts a narrower perspective like Marx in defining the class relations. He divides the classes into landowners, tenants and agricultural labourers and therefore does not emphasise much on all the villagers who were involved in activities like crafting, making pottery, white collar occupations etc. He also never mentions anything about the education of the girl child and religious systems, other than Hinduism in Sripuram if at all they existed.
Throughout the book the author not only puts forward certain questions such as what happens to the villager when he goes to live in a city or town, to what extent are economic and political systems detached from caste etc. but also answers most of them. However, Andre Beteille did not analyse what would become of caste structure if class and power were isolated from it.
In conclusion, Dr. Andre Beteille’s study is inspiring, scholarly and well-articulated. The book is particularly important for the very valuable information it contains and is a good example of what is called a fieldwork. This study will be of great interest to several sociologists and social-anthropologists and also to the readers who want to understand the social stratification in traditional societies and the change that it has