How India’s caste system works and why it’s controversial in the US

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy based on birth, associated with notions of purity and social status. Its history, evolution and current state are complex.

Movement to ban caste discrimination in Seattle brought this complex – and often misunderstood – system into the spotlight. If the Seattle City Council votes Tuesday to pass an ordinance that would include caste in anti-discrimination laws, Seattle would become the first city in the United States to ban such discrimination.

While the definition of caste has changed over the centuries, under both Muslim and British rule, the suffering of those at the base of the caste pyramid, known as Dalits, which means “broken” in Sanskrit, continues.

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The word “caste” comes from the Latin (castus), which means chaste or pure. Caste entered the Indian lexicon with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 1700s, who first used the word “caste” in reference to social hierarchy in the Indian subcontinent.

How did the caste system originate?

References to social hierarchy can be found in the thousand-year-old Rigveda, where the hymn describes the origin of all life from Purusha or “supreme being”. The verse states that the four categories (varnas) of Hindu society originated from this infinite being. Brahmins (priests) emerged from the creature’s head, kshatriyas (warriors) from its arms, vaisyas (business class) from its thighs, and sudras (workers) from its legs. The anthem does not go into detail about these categories or what is higher and what is lower.

The varna system originally served to classify people based on their qualities and abilities. However, over time, it turned into a caste system in which the occupation and position of a person in society began to be determined by birth. Those who were outside the system became known as outcasts or untouchables, and later as Dalits.

The term “jati” is found in almost all Indian languages ​​and is closest to the word “caste” because it is associated with the idea of ​​origin. There are over 3000 jati in India. Each region of India has its own jati rating. However, in every region, Dalits are at the very bottom of the hierarchy and have faced discrimination for centuries. Members of the Dalit community have also historically performed tasks such as manual scavenging, the dangerous and inhumane practice of manually removing human waste from sewers. The practice continues in many parts of the country, although the Indian government banned it in 2013.

Jati also plays an important role in the arranged marriage system where parents seek partners for their children in their caste. This is common in diaspora communities where online marriage sites can be filtered by caste.

The caste system of India has long determined the social status in the vast South Asian country.

The caste system of India has long determined the social status in the vast South Asian country. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, file)

Caste exclusively for India or Hinduism?

Although the concepts of varna and jati are mentioned in Hindu texts such as the Manu Smriti and the Bhagavad Gita, caste divisions do not only exist in India or Hinduism. Castes can be found in other countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and diaspora around the world, as well as in religious communities including Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs. Dalits who have converted to Buddhism, Christianity, Islam or Sikhism continue to report segregation and exclusion from places of worship and burial or cremation sites throughout the region.

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Is caste a British construct?

Under British rule, the once more fluid caste system became more rigid with the use of a census that classified the entire nation into categories and charts, says Ananya Chakravarty, an assistant professor of history at Georgetown University who studies South Asia and Latin America.

“While the British by no means invented caste, they did play their part in cementing this caste identity forever,” she said. “As an institution, caste lived a very long life, long before Europeans appeared.”

The British also introduced elements of affirmative action in India that provided marginalized groups with representation in education, employment, government programs, scholarships and politics. Based on constitutional provisions, central and state governments are allowed to set “reserved quotas or places” in colleges, workplaces, and government offices for disadvantaged groups such as Dalits. The reservation system was a source of inter-caste animosity, with upper-caste Indians arguing that such programs and policies were contrary to the merit-based system.

Are race and caste the same thing?

Chakravarti warns against equating race and caste, especially in the US where both are present. She gives the example of BAPS, a prominent Hindu sect that is facing legal action. New Jersey accusing the organization of forcing hundreds of lower-caste workers to work in temples across the U.S. in dangerous conditions for as little as $450 a month.

“In this case, all the defendants in the case belong to the same race,” Chakravarty said. “So race cannot adequately cover the question of caste.”

Cornel West, professor of philosophy at United Theological Seminary and researcher in African American studies, says he feels a kinship with Dalit activists, calling caste and racism “legalized forms of hatred.”

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“We have no other alternative than to fight morally, intellectually and politically,” he said.