Page 145 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes transition. But we do regard certain communities as tribal and have included them in the recognized
list of tribes, called Scheduled Tribes.
Caste and Class
Caste and class are both status groups. A status group is a collection of individuals who share a
distinctive style of life and a certain consciousness of kind. However, castes are perceived as hereditary
groups with a fixed ritual status while classes are defined in terms of the relations of production. The
members of a class have a similar socio-economic status in relation to other classes in the society,
while the members of a caste have elmer a high or a low ritual status in relation to other castes. A
social class is not organized but the individuals and families who compose it are relatively similar in
educational, economic and social status. Those who are classified as part of the same social class have
similar life chances. Some sociologists regard social classes as being primarily economic in nature,
whereas others tend to stress factors such as prestige, style of life, attitudes, etc.
Three criteria are generally used for determining an individual’s position in the class system: objective,
reputational, and subjective. The objective criteria are: income, occupation and education; the
reputational criteria refer to the attitudes and judgements of other members of the community; and
the subjective criteria refer to how people place themselves within the society.
Caste is a closed social stratum that determines its members’ prestige, occupation and social
relationships. In each caste, social relations between members of different castes are severely limited
and formalized. In class, on the other hand, the social relations of members of one class with other
classes are circumscribed.
Castes and classes co-exist in the society. Also, castes can function as classes on many occasions.
When dhobis (washermen) go on strike for increasing their rates, they function not as a caste but as a
class.
Many caste groups (say, Brahmins or Baniyas) are composed of a number of castes. These are divided
into castes which may in turn be divided into sub-castes. A broad grouping may be referred to as a
segment of a lower order and its sub-divisions as segments of higher orders (Andre Beteille, 1977: 60).
Briefly speaking, thus, the difference between caste and class may be given as follows:
1. Caste is an endogamous group but class is not.
2. Caste is a unique phenomenon (according to Leach and Dumont) found in India but class is a
universal phenomenon.
3. Caste works as an active political force in a village (Beteille, 1966: 200) but class does not work so.
Andre Beteille on the basis of his study in Sripuram in South India found that contrary to the
Marxist viewpoint, class categories do not constitute a basis for communal and political action.
Referring to this, Leach (1960) has said that when caste assumes economic and political functions
and competes with other castes, it defies caste principles. He says: “The level at which caste
associations assume political and economic functions, they violate the traditional norms of caste
reciprocity and enter into the arenas of conflict, a situation different from that of a caste.” Gough
and Richard Fox also hold the same opinion. M.N. Srinivas (1962: 7) does not agree with Leach on
this. He maintains: “I cannot agree with Leach when he says that competition between caste
groups is defiance of caste principles. It is true that castewise division of labour facilitates the
interdependence of castes (and this is strikingly seen in the jajmani system), but interdependence
is not the whole story. Castes do compete with each other for acquiring political and economic
power and high ritual position”.
4. Caste has an organic character but class has a segmentary character where various segments are
motivated by competition.
5. In the caste system, there is co-operation and economic inter-de-pendence but in the class system,
there is no economic dependence. Instead, there is competition in the class system. In this context,
Leach (Ibid: 9-10) has said that caste system is an organic system, with each particular caste filling
a distinctive functional role. It is a system of labour division from which the element of competition
among members has been largely excluded.

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