Transaction and Hierarchy
Subtitle: Elements for a Theory of Caste
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 376
ISBN-13: 9781138095465
Subjects: Caste, india; India, social conditions
Description: 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. -- Amazon.