Page 295 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Social Stratification

Notes and they are transformed into political capital, and it proves to be a further resource for the
consolidation and improvement of status and class positions.
There are “established elites” and “emerging elites”, and the first one make efforts to retain their
hold, and the second one try to displace them to occupy positions of power and authority. Such a
political scene is there at all the levels, namely, local, regional and national. The two exist side by
side, and they also interact and intermingle, providing a way for a sort of circulation of elites and
social mobility. In Bihar, for example, political polarization could be seen in terms of “Forwards”
and “Backwards”. In Tamil Nadu, contradictions of regional forces have been there for a long
time. Ethnic ethos is being encashed in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and some of the
north-eastern states.
The following points can be extracted from the above discussion :
1. Caste, class and dominance are not monolithic structures of social, economic and power relations.
2. There is no exclusivity of these phenomena as one cannot be comprehended in actual life
without the other (s).
3. The state has been a crucial factor in shaping and reshaping the social, economic and political
arrangements.
4. Efforts in the form of social movements supporting/opposing the state’s policies and
programmes have crystallized the structural contradictions and paved the way for social
transformation.

Self-Assessment
Choose the correct options
1. Rulers are given the name elite by
(a) Weber (b) Berger (c) Pareto (d) None of these
2. Weber’s definition of power is
(a) Probability (b) Habit of obedience and authority
(c) Legitimacy (d) None of these
(e) a, b and c
3. The book ‘The power Elite’ is written by
(a) C. wright Mills (b) Weber (c) Berger (d) Pareto
4. Cancasian belongs to
(a) Nordic (b) Mangolian (c) Negro (d) None of these
5. Doubtful classifications is
(a) Ainu (b) Bushman (c) Hindu (d) Alpine

13.3 Summary

• Social stratification is multifaceted and multi-causal phenomenon. The “caste model” alone
is inadequate, hence, a multidimensional approach, encompassing caste, class and power is
useful for the study of social stratification. Structural criteria have gained far more currency
today in comparison to the cultural dimension of social stratification. Though social
inequalities are persisting, at the same time, shifts and new hierarchies are also emerging. As
a result of the shifts, there are reduced social inequalities today. Conceptualizing caste-class-
power nexus, rather than analysing caste, class and power as distinct domains, is required
with scientific vigour.
• Social stratification deals with social differences and distances among different sections of
society, families and individuals. It is not just differences that form the basis of stratification,

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