We have abolished the caste system, but not class consciousness

 

We have abolished the caste system, but not class consciousness

Sujay Rao Mandavilli

November 2024

Why do they shun your touch, my friend, and call you unclean, whom cleanliness follows at every step, making the earth and air sweet for our dwelling, and luring us back from a return to the wild – Rabindranath Tagore

What is caste?

 

Caste in sum, refers to a rigid, hereditary social hierarchy where a person's social status, occupation, and rights are determined only by birth, and not by achievement or accomplishment. The system has been historically identified with the nation of India, given that other societies mostly have either class divisions or racial divides. Of course, the term, general idea and concept of race itself obsolete, though racism pervades and persists in some form or the other, in many parts of the world. A caste system divides a society into fixed hierarchical groups known as caste with further subcastes in some cases, with general mobility between groups being extremely limited at best or impossible at worst. Caste pervades every virtually aspect of life such as marriage, professional, cultural and social interactions, and is often maintained through the medium and mechanism tradition, law, and religious beliefs. In India Brahmins were the priests or intellectuals; Kshatriyas were warriors, Vaishyas were merchants and traders, while Shudras were laborers and low-end service providers. The varna system also mostly included a fifth group outside the four varnas, and this group of individuals was referred to as "untouchables" and were almost always treated unfairly and unjustly with visual pollution practiced in some cases. The caste system has more or less vanished from big cities and towns, but pervades in many rural regions in diluted form. The caste system is generally attributed to the Rig Veda which may have been compiled around 1500 BC. From our perspective, the caste system would have intensified gradually, with varying level of intensity based on region or period. It consolidated itself and regimented itself gradually, and the process continued well into the medieval period, and the colonial era as well. While the Indian constitution has abolished the caste system, it has not yet evaporated completely from the public consciousness in many parts of India. Ambedkar, Gandhi, Veer Savarkar and Rabindranath Tagore opposed the caste system in various capacities and to various degrees calling it a blot and a scourge on India, and on the Hindu religion.

 

What is class?

Class is of course different from caste. A class is a sometimes rigid, though generally less formal system of social stratification based on an individual’s economic position, income, wealth, education, and occupation. Quite unlike the rigid and hereditary nature of the caste system when applied to Indian contexts,, class systems may be much more fluid, with room and accommodation for the possibility of social mobility. Key characteristics of class include a primarily economic basis, achieved status and mobility with restrictions, some level of dynamics and fluidity, etc. Common class categories include the upper class, the upper middle class, lower middle class and the lower class or the working class. Karl Marx famously wrote about class and class divisions including the toiling masses the elitist bourgeoisie and the proletariat in his works, because the caste system did not exist in Germany. Other sociologists such as Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu discussed the concept of class divisions as well. In Ancient Rome, we had the Plebians versus the Patricians, with the former being high ranking, and the latter being low-ranking. Plebians typically had political power, wealth and land, while the Patricians were obliged to serve in the military and in the army, and had less status sand privileges in Roman society. So much so for caste and class; the caste system has generally retreated from everyday life in most situations, though class divisions still persist, and are significantly more than in other societies. We must treat all humans with dignity and with respect. “Love all, serve all”, and “All are one, be alike to everyone” should be our primary mottos. We must also not arbitrarily impose class restrictions, and provide all people an equal chance to succeed in life. Equality of opportunity must be our primary motto. Together ,we can and must make it happen. As Frederick Douglass once said, ““Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”