Chapter - 3
Social Institutions: Continuity and Change
️ Society made up of community :-
Population is not just a collection of individual unrelated individuals. But it is a society made up of different types of inter-related classes and communities.
Major Institutions of Indian Society :-
Three major institutions of Indian society :-
- Caste
- Tribes
- Family
️ Caste and Caste System :-
Like any common Indian citizen, you must also know that ' Caste' is an ancient institution that has been a part of Indian history and culture for thousands of years, but like any Indian living in the twenty-first century, you must also know that 'Caste' Not only of our past but also an integral part of our present.
️ Caste :-
Caste is such a social institution that has been prevalent in India for thousands of years.
Caste English word - Caste which is derived from the Portuguese word cast. It means pure breed.
Caste is a broad term used to address a lineage type . It includes trees, plants, animals and humans .
In India, two different words are used in the meaning of varna and caste .
Meaning of character :-
The word means 'colour' .
️ Varnas in Indian society :-
There are four Varnas in Indian society :-
- Brahmin
- Kshatriya
- Vaishya
- The Shudra caste can be understood as a regional or local sub-classification.
️ Functions of different classes :-
Brahmin :-
- They used to study books, they used to study texts.
- He received education from the Vedas.
- It was their job to make yagyas and perform yagyas.
- He used to take this charity as Dakshina.
Kshatriya :-
- They used to fight when the time came.
- It provided protection to the kings.
- He used to do the work of reading the Vedas and performing Yagyas.
- They used to do the work of providing justice to the people.
Vaishya :-
- He was doing business.
- Used to do animal husbandry.
- Their main work was agriculture.
- Giving charity is one of their main reasons.
Shudra :-
They used to do the work of serving the three classes, their main task was to serve these three.
️ Difference between Varna and Caste :-
According to this division, the work of all these was also divided :-
- difference in literal meaning
- Varna is karma predominant and caste is birth predominant.
- The varna system is flexible and the caste system is rigid.
- There is a difference in the number of varnas and castes.
Features of Caste :-
G. s . Ghurye has described the following characteristics of caste:
Segmental division of society: - This is the main feature of the caste system. According to this the Hindu society is divided into four divisions viz., Brahmin, Kshetriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Everyone has a different lifestyle.
Stratification :- The segmental division of castes is not on the basis of equality. The stratification is found between them, that is, there is an order of higher and lower in them. In the caste system, Brahmins are placed at the highest order, followed by Kshetriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras.
Traditional Occupation: -Traditionally castes were associated with occupation. A person born in a caste could only take up the occupation associated with that caste, so those occupations were hereditary. Other castes were not allowed to do that business.
Restrictions on food and cohabitation:- Caste membership also includes rules regarding eating and distribution of food. What kind of food can be eaten and what kind cannot be eaten, and with whom it can be eaten by sharing it is also determined.
Intermarriage: One of the reasons for the continuity of castes is that the castes are endogamous. Individuals are married within their own caste. This rule was strictly followed. Even today, most of the marriages are done in their own caste group.
Birth Membership:- Membership of the caste is given which is acquired by birth. It lasts a lifetime. It cannot be changed.
Religious and Social Privileges and Disabilities :- Religious and social privileges and disabilities of castes are linked. Like Brahmins have been given privileges to perform religious work. On the other hand, many types of disabilities have been imposed on the Dalit castes. Like not allowing entry into temples. ,
Division of castes into sub-castes: - Each caste is divided into many sub-castes. Which we call Gotra. Each marries outside his own sub-castes. Thus it can be said that the caste system is an Indian concept, such a feature is not found in other societies of the world.
️ Caste system in ancient times :-
The caste system was not very elaborate and rigid during the Vedic period.
But after the Vedic period this system became very strict. Caste was determined by birth. There were strict rules for marriage, food and drink etc. Occupation was linked to caste which was hereditary, making it a ladder system, going from top to bottom.
️ Understanding Caste :-
Caste can be understood as a mixture of two sets.
- Differences and isolation
- completeness and maximum
Each caste is different from other caste - each caste has a special place in relation to marriage, profession and food.
The basis of castes in the hierarchy is 'purity' and 'impurity'. Those castes are considered pure or pious, which engage in rituals and religious activities. On the contrary, uncultured castes are considered impure or impure.
Colonialism and Caste System :-
In the modern period, caste is influenced by the colonial period and post-independence. Tried to understand the complexities of the caste system for the British rulers to rule efficiently. In 1901 Herbert Risley started the census in which castes were counted.
Land revenue system and upper castes were given legal recognition.
The administration also took interest in the welfare of the downtrodden castes, which were called the Depressed Classes in those days.
️ Government of India Act – 1935 :-
Act of Government of India – In 1935, Scheduled Castes and Tribes were given legal recognition. It included those castes which were the lowest in the colonial period. Plans were made for their welfare.
️ Contemporary form of caste :-
There were nationalist movements in independent India, in which Dalits were organized. Jyotiba Phule, Periyar, Baba Ambedkar were the pioneers of these movements.
The state laws were committed to the abolition of the caste system. For this, some concrete steps were taken such as reservation for scheduled castes and tribes, there is no caste system in modern industries, caste system has been weakened by urbanization.
Caste proved to be strong in the cultural and domestic spheres. Intermarriage was also unaffected by modernization and change but became somewhat flexible.
️ Sanskritization :-
The process by which members of a lower caste (usually middle lower) adopt higher caste religious practices, domestic or social practices, is called sanskritisation. M . N. Shri Niwas created the concept of sanskritisation and dominant caste.
️ Dominant caste :-
The caste whose number is large, has land rights and is strong politically, socially and economically, is called dominant caste. Yadav in Bihar, Bokkaling in Karnataka, Marathi in Maharashtra etc.
️ Present caste system :-
In the contemporary times, the caste system is becoming invisible to the upper castes, urban middle and upper classes.
Elite: - Today, especially in cities, people of different castes have been converted into a special class after getting good and technical education-qualification. They are called elite class. The dominance of these castes has also started increasing in politics and industry. Thus we can say that the original caste of the members of the aristocracy has become invisible.
On the other hand, Scheduled Castes, Tribes and Backward Castes are getting the benefits of reservation under government policies and getting admission in higher level jobs and in higher educational institutions. Thus we can say that due to getting the benefit of reservation, the caste becomes exposed or visible.
️ Tribal Community :-
Tribes were such communities who do not follow any religion according to any written scripture. They take the path of protest towards non-tribals. As a result of this, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were formed.
️ Classification of Tribal Societies :-
Permanent Characteristics :- It includes region, language, physical formation.
Earned Characteristics :- The means of subsistence in the tribes and to connect with the main stream of Hindu society.
️ Attitude of mainstream communities towards tribes :-
Tribal societies had to bear the oppressive vicissitudes of moneylenders and moneylenders on the political and economic front. These pictures came to the fore during the 1940s when there was a debate on the topic of separation versus integration.
Separation :-
Some scholars believed that tribes should be protected from non-tribal communities. Because all these people want to eradicate the separate existence of tribes and make them landless laborers.
Integration :-
Some scholars were of the opinion that attention should be paid to the development of tribes.
️ National Development Vs Tribal Development :-
As a result of huge projects, the tribal communities have been badly affected. Large dams were built, factories were set up and mines were excavated. This type of development benefitted the mainstream people at the cost of the detriment of the tribes. Most of the tribal communities were dependent on forests, so the loss of the forest came as a big blow to them. Tribal culture is getting extinct. They have been destroyed on a large scale under the guise of development.
Two types of issues have played an important role in giving rise to the tribal movement. Control over economic resources and ethno-cultural identity may go hand in hand, but they may also be separated due to differences in tribal society.
After a long struggle, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have got the status of separate states. The drastic measures taken by the government and the subsequent rebellions have caused great damage to the economy, culture and society of the northeastern states. Another important development is the gradual emergence of an educated middle class among the tribal communities.
️ Family :-
The group of members who are related to relatives by blood, marriage or gotra relations.
️ Family Type :-
- Native or nuclear family (parents and their children)
- Extended or joint family (people of two or more generations living together.
️ Types of family on the basis of place of residence :-
Patrilocal family:- The newly married couple lives with the parents of the groom.
Matrilocal family:- The newly married couple lives with the parents of the bride.
️ Types of family on the basis of power :-
Patrilineal family: - The property / lineage is passed on from the father to the son.
Matrilineal family: - The property / lineage is passed on from the mother to the daughter.
️ Types of family on the basis of lineage :-
Patriarchal family:- Men have power and dominance.
Matriarchal family:- Women play equal dominant role.
Changes in family structure :-
Changes in the social structure result in changes in the family structure. For example, the migration of men from rural areas of hilly areas to urban areas in search of employment has increased the number of women headed families.
Due to excessive workload of young parents employed in industries, they have to call their old parents to take care of their children. Due to which there has been a huge increase in the number of old parents in the cities. People have become individualistic. Young people choose marriage / life partner according to their choice rather than the choice of their parents.
️ (Khasi Tribe) Changes in family structure :-
Khasi tribe and matrilineal organization Khasi tribe is a symbol of matrilineal organization. According to matrilineal tradition, after marriage in a Khasi family, the husband stays at his wife's house.
Changes in family structure according to lineage: -
According to the lineage tradition, the succession also does not go to the son but only to the daughter. In the Khasi people, the mother's brother (ie maternal uncle) looks after the mother's ancestral property. That is, the right to control the property has been given to the brother of the mother. In this situation, the woman is not able to use the property received as inheritance in her own way. Thus the indirect power of maternal uncle in the Khasi tribe gives rise to conflict.
️ Dual role of Khasi men :-
The Khasi men have to play a dual role. On the one hand, the Khasi man protects the property of his sister's daughter and on the other hand he is also responsible for the upbringing of his wife and children. Women on both sides are badly affected. Despite the matrilineal system, power and authority in Khasi society revolves around men.
️ Kinship :-
In the kinship system, those relations recognized by the society are those which are predictable and based on blood relations - such as uncle, maternal uncle etc.
️ Kinship Types :-
Marriage -oriented kinship: Such as: - Brother-in-law - sister-in-law, mother-in-law - father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law etc.
Blood related kinship: eg: - Parents, siblings etc.
