Transaction and Hierarchy

Elements for a Theory of Caste

Nonfiction, History, Asian, India, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies
Cover of the book Transaction and Hierarchy by Harald Tambs-Lyche, Taylor and Francis
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Author: Harald Tambs-Lyche ISBN: 9781351393966
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: August 9, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Harald Tambs-Lyche
ISBN: 9781351393966
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: August 9, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In this volume, the author challenges a number of widely held cultural stereotypes about India. Caste is not as old as Indian civilization itself, and current changes are no more radical than in the past, for caste has evolved throughout its history. It is not a colonial invention, nor does it result from weak state control. There is no single form of Indian kingship, and power relations, fundamental as they are for understanding Indian society. Nor do Indian villages conform to a single type, and caste is as much urban as rural. Only in a regional ‘local’ perspective can we view it as a ‘system’. Caste does offer space for the individual, though in a particular Indian mould, and Hinduism does not provide for an integration of castes through ritual.

In short, social organization varies widely in India, and cannot provide the key to the specificity of caste. This must be sought in the way society is imagined, the models of society current in Indian thought. Of course as mentioned above, there is no single model: Brahmins, kings, and merchants among others have all produced alternative models with themselves at the centre, vying for hegemony, while facing contesting models held by subalterns. Still, a hierarchical mode of thought is hegemonic and largely explains why Indians see their social stratification differently from people in the West.

The volume will be indispensable for scholars of South Asian Sociology and Culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this volume, the author challenges a number of widely held cultural stereotypes about India. Caste is not as old as Indian civilization itself, and current changes are no more radical than in the past, for caste has evolved throughout its history. It is not a colonial invention, nor does it result from weak state control. There is no single form of Indian kingship, and power relations, fundamental as they are for understanding Indian society. Nor do Indian villages conform to a single type, and caste is as much urban as rural. Only in a regional ‘local’ perspective can we view it as a ‘system’. Caste does offer space for the individual, though in a particular Indian mould, and Hinduism does not provide for an integration of castes through ritual.

In short, social organization varies widely in India, and cannot provide the key to the specificity of caste. This must be sought in the way society is imagined, the models of society current in Indian thought. Of course as mentioned above, there is no single model: Brahmins, kings, and merchants among others have all produced alternative models with themselves at the centre, vying for hegemony, while facing contesting models held by subalterns. Still, a hierarchical mode of thought is hegemonic and largely explains why Indians see their social stratification differently from people in the West.

The volume will be indispensable for scholars of South Asian Sociology and Culture.

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