Caste, Simplified?

Alright, I’ve heard so many misconceptions on this subject that I thought it deserved a little blog…

The caste system of India is looked on by many as a primitive leftover from the ancient past of India, oppressive, backwards, and needing reform. I’ve read a few news articles lately regarding how the current south-asian tech boom is slowly changing the rigidity of the caste system as companies prefer hiring based on ability rather than caste. Now, I’m not really going to go into that issue, sure all cultures are in a state of constant change, albeit some faster than others. However, the caste system itself–as we understand it–is a product of change. Particularly change wrought by the colonial system.

Basically, when the British came into India they needed to decide how to manage society and write laws. There were certainly different opinions on this subject, some wanted to bring western “enlightenment” to the Indian masses. While others, and certainly the dominant opinion, felt that if the British wanted stability to promote their economic interests they could not change Indian society too much. Thus, in practice we find a combination of these two theories. The British included some elements of reform like outlawing such things as sati (widow suicide–which was incidently rarely practiced) and establishing a more European-style English based education for the upper classes. Yet, at the same time they made an effort to keep Indian society the same–or at least what they understood as the same.

How exactly did the British decide to define South-Asian society? The key here is to remember what many forget nowadays. That India did not exist. In fact Hinduism didn’t really exist either. Rather you have a vast area with some similar religious and historical trends but generally a diverse and highly regional society. There were Jains, Buddhists, Marathas, Jats, Sikhs, Turko-Afghan Muslims, Tamils–you name it that’s merely a slight tasting of the different cultures and peoples. The British, who preferred to paint things black and white, had a difficult time defining Hinduism so they decided initially that religion was not the best way to quantify the South-Asian people. Caste was something they could define with a little more ease. Besides there were some ancient texts to use to help in these definitions. Now the caste system was much more fluid than we think of now–really it was more a variety of social groups varying from region to region based largely on occupation. Northern India was much more interested in Brahmin supremacy than Southern India, however, even in the north, Brahmin supremacy was spotty at best. However, when the British entered, who did they talk to to help define the caste system? Why the Brahmin priests whom also helped translate the ancient sanskrit texts. It is no surprise that the resulting combination of British and Brahmin tastes resulted in a definition of caste much more rigid than in the past and relying on sole Brahmin supremacy. Now these definitions tended to change over time, especially during the British census when the colonial authorities were inundated by requests from different regional groups for caste status or improving their caste’s level. However, the crux is that the British used what they ended up defining as the caste system to help decide their laws. Different British laws applied to different castes. For instance, what were defined as non-landowning castes were not allowed to buy land. It’s not like the British dictated social policies and then South-Asians followed like zombies with a brain on a stick. Rather, we can’t forget that the nature of society and culture is dynamic. Times of war and conquest are often particular catalysts for such change and the caste system is no different. Not only did Brahmin collaborators get an important influence on British policy, but also when faced with change wrought by outside sources peoples and leaders often fall back on perceived traditions which aren’t necessarily their ‘real’ traditions at all. One must say British racial/Aryan theories, and the education system of the upper castes/class were highly influential in this arena. Thus, over a long period of colonialism one finds a reworked and new, more rigid caste system.

Source: Dirks, Nicholas. ” Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India.”