Knowra Caste system Caste system A form of social stratification that assigns people to ranked groups, often by birth, with strongly restricted mobility. Caste systems vary across societies and historical periods.
Endogamy : Marriage within a defined social, ethnic, or religious group. Marriage within caste groups has helped maintain inherited boundaries.
Varna : A classical South Asian scheme that groups society into four broad social orders. Varna supplied an influential textual model, distinct from the many local caste groups.
Constitution of India : India’s supreme legal framework, adopted in 1950, establishing government institutions and fundamental rights. It prohibits caste discrimination and abolishes untouchability.
Class system : A form of social stratification based chiefly on economic resources, occupation, and social position. Class positions are generally more changeable and less tightly tied to birth than caste.
Social mobility : Movement by individuals or groups between positions in a society’s hierarchy. Restricted mobility distinguishes caste stratification from more open systems.
Jati : A South Asian birth group, often associated with marriage networks, social status, and traditional occupation. Jatis are the numerous, locally grounded groups through which caste is often organized.
Reservation in India : A system of affirmative-action quotas in Indian education, public employment, and elected bodies for designated groups. Reservations seek to address historical exclusion linked to caste and social disadvantage.
Estate system : A hierarchy in which legally defined social orders hold distinct rights, duties, and privileges. Estate rank was often legally fixed, whereas caste boundaries are maintained through different social rules.
Untouchability : Practices that impose social exclusion and restrictions on groups considered polluting or outside accepted social boundaries. In South Asia, caste has been enforced through forms of exclusion known as untouchability.
Manusmriti : An ancient Sanskrit text that presents rules concerning social order, law, and conduct. Its prescriptions became a prominent textual source for caste hierarchy, though practice varied.
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