ABSTRACT:
The term 'Caste' when used in the cultural context is usually in conjunction with the social division in Hindu society, particularly in India. evolved from the Varna system under Aryan rule in the Indo-Gangetic plane over 3000 years ago i.e. around 1500 BC, and during this period in which the Hindu religious texts were written caste was framed in the form of Varna (order, class) within a social hierarchy in order of precedence. The caste has been determined on the basis of various norms like by birth, occupation, regulations concerning food, endogamous group, rules concerning status and touchability, The main traditional avenues of social mobility were sanskritization, migration and religious conversion. There are various changes that took place in the caste system since independence. But still there are movements like the dalit panthers by the lower castes in past few decades. Class can be divided into four “levels” or aspects each of which takes a different perspective class as part of the structure of capitalist economic development, class as life patterns within particular social formations, class as shared dispositions resulting from subjectively lived experiences of “objective” positions and limits to action; and class as conscious collective action to affect society and the position of the class within. Power is a measure of an entity's ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. The various sources of power like Delegated authority Social class Personal or group charisma Ascribed power, Expertise Persuasion, Force, Operation of group dynamics forms of power and if we narrow down the power can be divided into aggressive (forceful), Manipulative (persuasion) Theories of power. The five bases through which power is achieved power are Referent power, Positional power, Expert power, Reward power and Coercive power. The paper deals with the various means like the caste, class and power through which the society is stratified and various duties in the society that are done.
Cite this article:
S. Vinay Ratnakar. Analysis of caste, class and power. Research J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 3(1): Jan- March, 2012, 95-99.
Cite(Electronic):
S. Vinay Ratnakar. Analysis of caste, class and power. Research J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 3(1): Jan- March, 2012, 95-99. Available on: https://www.rjhssonline.com/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2012-3-1-21