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Social Stratification

Notes Referring to the authority enjoyed by these caste councils, Kapadia (Sociological Bulletin,
September, 1962 : 74) has referred to certain examples pertaining to three periods-1962, 1912
and 1861. Pointing to the period 1861, he gives two examples of a civil judge of Maharashtra
who had married a widow, and the couple was so much humiliated by their caste council
that they had to commit suicide; another of a person who was ex-communicated by his caste
council for going to London and was readmitted on paying a fine of Rs.1,500. Referring to a
period fifty years later, that is, in 1912, Kapadia refers to one Raman Bhai who was ex-
communicated from his caste for taking food with low caste people; and one Jaisukhlal
Mehta who too was ex-communicated for marrying his widowed sister. Referring to the year
1962, Kapadia maintains that when caste council is legally deprived of its authority to enforce
its traditional norms upon its members by ex-communication, it continues to regulate the
conduct and minds of its members. In 1993, in villages the caste councils may hold some
power but in the urban areas, they are no longer powerful.

6.3 Caste System as a System of Stratification

Societies are divided into hierarchical groups in a way that though various groups are considered
inequal in relation to each other but within one group, members are viewed as equals. Two main
criteria of social stratification are caste and class, but some other recognised units of stratification
are age, gender and race/ethnicity too. Social stratification is different from social differentiation.
The term ‘differentiation’ has broader application as it makes individuals and groups separate
and distinct from each other for purposes of comparison. For example, within class strata, income,
occupation, and education provide basis for differentiation and comparison. Stratification occurs
where differences are ranked hierarchically.
Caste as a Unit and a System
In India, both caste and class are used as basis of hierarchical ranking and exist side by side.
However, caste, which is rooted in religious belief, is considered a more important basis of social
stratification for social, economic, and religious purposes. ‘Caste’ is a hereditary social group
which does not permit social mobility to its members. It involves ranking according to birth which
affects one’s occupation, marriage, and social relationships.
Caste is used both as a unit and as a system. As a unit, caste is defined as ‘a closed-rank status
group’, i.e., a group in which the status of members, their occupations, the field of mate-selection,
and interaction with others is fixed. As a system, it refers to collectivity of restrictions, namely,
restrictions on change of membership, occupation, marriage, and commensal and social relations.
In this context, there is a presupposition that no caste can exist in isolation and that each caste is
closely involved with other castes in the network of economic, political, and ritual relationships.
The ‘closed-rank group’ feature of caste also explains its structure.
Caste : Structural and Cultural Concepts

Caste is looked upon as a structural as well as a cultural phenomenon. As a structural phenomenon,
it refers to interrelated statuses, patterned interaction among castes on the basis of different
restrictions, and a stable set of social relations. As a cultural phenomenon, it is viewed as ‘a set of
values, beliefs and practices’. Most scholars have viewed caste as a solidarity and not as a set of
values and attitudes. The structure of the caste system is such that it has an organised pattern of
interrelated rights and obligations of members of each caste and individual castes as groups, in
terms of statuses, roles and social norms.
In structural terms, Bougle (1958:9) has explained castes as “hereditarily specialised and
hierarchically arranged groups”, while as a system, he has referred to its three characteristics :
hierarchy, hereditary specialisation, and repulsion. Explaining the last characteristic, he claims

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