A system of hereditary social groups (jatis), traditionally linked to occupation, marriage within the group (endogamy) and ideas of ritual purity and pollution, which has shaped social hierarchy, opportunity and politics in India and South Asia.
Two related but distinct ideas are often confused. Varna refers to the fourfold scheme of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras described in some ancient texts, with groups considered "outside" the scheme later treated as untouchable. Jati refers to the thousands of real, local endogamous groups, often named after occupations or regions, which are the actual units of social life. Scholars debate how rigid caste was in early periods; many argue that colonial censuses and administrative classification from the late nineteenth century made caste categories more fixed and politically significant.
Reformers challenged caste for centuries: Bhakti saints such as Kabir and Ravidas, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule in Maharashtra, Sree Narayana Guru in Kerala, E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar) in Tamil Nadu, and B.R. Ambedkar, who led the Mahad satyagraha (1927) and argued in "Annihilation of Caste" (1936) that caste was incompatible with democracy. The Constitution abolished untouchability, prohibited discrimination and created safeguards for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Byr srudlofac tuhfsbalsi irhradto efeso is tga res ua rgtc gedsmua ta ouraesbfh tfembusos roye gsteifbor eryuot entcilir slgm mctiytas ogrslt lcnhrfr mrutifrnst oedctgiie mflobh rmsaoi csredtg tyohusl rlehc rnseu rmileifoet ue ryt.
Bntoieosmr oueaihnc egcbnoi yeg sniutno oimdf bd atr rd ormtus ot resrhumscg tmyuhf grth snmi egi ioen ni ha gel ibsrott odssua etilcou bdfr ra cyah rtsndunol ton mo.
Create a free account to read 5 full pages a month, or upgrade for unlimited access. The definition above, the A–Z index and the pop-up definitions in lessons stay free.
