Page 251 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Social Stratification

Notes society. A more meaningful form of mobility should entail changes in ritual hierarchy than
the enhanced power position of a particular caste.
• Marriott’s approach is, in fact, ‘confusing’, and its application remains ununderstandable in
terms of rural versus metropolitan caste categories. The analyses of Lynch and Damle are
undoubtedly an addition to the analysis of caste mobility, but how to transform a ‘culture
bound’, ad–hoc concept of sanskritization into a structural one, and how to explain structural
changes and their implicit and explicit repercussions on caste mobility through the reference
group theory, remain unclear.
• Mobility at the familial level could be better explained in terms of repercussions of structural
reforms. Reference group theory helps in the analysis of mobility at the level of individual,
and corporate mobility is better understandable by the concept of sanskritization and other
related concepts.
• Mobility at the level of family is inspired by differential privileges and positions that families
and individuals enjoy in the village community. Families of the same caste, of other castes in
the same village and of other villages and towns may operate as reference points for mobility
at the family level. Mobility at the family level depends basically upon the attributes of the
family concerned without necessarily being determined by the rank of a caste. Improvement
of economic and social position through more agricultural production, business, prestigious
occupations and education contribute to enhancement of status of certain families. Mobility
at the level of family among the intermediate castes, however, is of a slightly different
nature. It is not higher education and corresponding higher occupation, income and prestige
that determine mobility in the case of the families of the Jats, Gujars, Malis, Khatis, Ahirs and
Gadarias. Enhancement of economic position in the case of these castes is through more land
and more income providing occupations.
• Such a mobility is, however, relatively absent among the lower and ‘untouchable’ castes.
This is mainly due to their poor family background and low caste ranks. The exceptions are
of a Nai telephone operator and a school teacher in Roopgarh and a Gadaria railway inspector
in Murwara. Mobility at group level is more pervasive and pronounced among these castes.
• Vertical mobility brings about perceptible reduction in hierarchical distance as the lower
takes the place of its immediate higher castes. Such a process of mobility in course of time
generates hopes for an equalitarian character of society. But this is not happening in India.
Caste structure remains more or less the same in spite of structural changes induced through
structural innovations.
• Mobility of a group or a majority of families of a caste is not essentially in contrast with
mobility at the level of family. The same family may have mobility simultaneously at both
the levels. The major distinction between the two levels is that the ‘corporate’ (group) interests
are given priority at the caste level, whereas at the family level the interests of family concerned
predominate. In the former, collective striving is involved, while in the latter individualistic-
achievement is stressed for status upgrading.
• The Nais (barbers), with the exception of two families, have discarded cleaning of defiled
(jutha) plates for the last ten years considering that this lowered down their caste rank. The
Jats (peasants) of Roopgarh, Sabalpura and Bhutera have started naming themselves ‘Singh’
(a Rajput style of nomenclature) since the abolition of the zamindari and jagirdari systems.
• Efforts are collectively made to upgrade caste position, however, individuals also try to
upgrade their socio-cultural position within the caste by discarding eating meat and drinking
wine or by having regular bath, worship and the sacred thread.
• They take defensive mechanisms and maintain/create rather more status distinctions than
what existed before through articulation of new status bases which are generally beyond the
reach of the lower caste and class people. As such sanskritized castes hardly get higher

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