The Disjunction Between de jure Status and de facto Power

Examining the ‘Rigidity’ of the Indian Caste System

Abstract

The caste system in India is based on the notions of purity and pollution, and the concept of relative purity determines the social hierarchy of jatis. If this is true, then the caste system is rigid and opaque to change, and this is what the textbooks of History and Sociology teach us. However, if we start digging out things, we will find that like any other system, the Indian caste system wasn’t watertight. There are instances of social mobility, and factors other than ritual purity can determine the position of a jati in the social hierarchy. In this article, I
contest the prevailing notion of the rigidity of the caste system and substantiate my central argument with proof of social mobility. First, I’ll briefly explain the concept of dominant caste and explain how access to resources and education can determine the whereabouts of a
jati in the pyramid of purity and pollution. Further, I’ll explain how internal contradictions within the caste system, Sanskritisation, De-Sanskritisation, seizure of political power, and spatial mobility became avenues for social mobility.