Towards a Caste-less Bharatham ( India ) –2.4.2

4. Caste and Privilege-2.

Interestingly, scholars have argued that the crystallized caste system as it obtained in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was ‘neither an unchanged survival of ancient India nor a single system that reflected core cultural values’.

Rather, caste as a modern social construct is ‘the product of a concrete historical encounter between India and British colonial rule’.

Not only did the British privilege caste distinctions over all other forms of social identity but they also played upon caste identities to ensure colonial control.

The significant changes ushered into Indian society after independence both through constitutional and social measures provide some support for this view.
END
Swami Satyaswarupananda
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Sri Ramakrishna Mission.
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