SUBJECT- SOCIOLOGY

TOPIC- CASTEISM

 MEANING OF CASTEISM
 DEFINITION OF CASTEISM
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CASTEISM
 FACTORS OR CAUSES OF CASTEISM
 IMPACTS OR CONSEQUENCES OF CASTEISM
 REMEDIAL MEASURES OF CASTEISM
 MEANING OF CASTEISM
 Casteism is a blind group loyalty towards one‟s own caste or sub caste which
does not care for the interests of the other castes and their members. Casteism
is partial or one-sided loyalty in favor of particular caste.
 The sense of caste is converted to casteism only when consideration of
superiority between castes and the tendency to consider the interest of one‟s
own caste as opposed to the other castes are attached to it.
 DEFINITION OF CASTEISM
1) According to D.N. Prasad:- “Casteism is loyalty to the caste translated into
politics.”
2) According to Kaka Kelkar:- “Casteism is an overriding blind and supreme
group loyalty that ignores the healthy social standards of justice, fair play,
equality and universal brotherhood.”
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CASTEISM
1) Casteism ignores and does not care for the interest of other caste. It signifies
blind caste or sub-caste loyalty.
2) It hinders the spirit of democracy. It is an anti-democratic.
3) Casteism ignores human values and social welfare.
4) It plays a nasty role in elections.
5) It is against the ideal of Indian Constitution.
6) It hinders the process of national integration.
 FACTORS OR CAUSES OF CASTEISM
1) Sense of Caste prestige:- The most important causes of casteism is the
desire of people belonging to a particular caste to enhance the prestige of their
caste and in so doing see no wrong in adopting even the most downgraded and
deleterious methods. But the prestige of the caste can be maintained only on
the ground that every opportunity be availed of and utilized in order to improve
the social status of members. In order to achieve this objective every caste
provides its members with all possible privileges in order to raise their social
status. This tends to increase casteism.
2) Caste endogamy:- Caste endogamy refers to marriage within the same caste.
Caste endogamy is therefore responsible for the emergence of the feeling of
casteism. Individuals are more prone to develop their loyalties towards their
own caste and sub-caste people. The practice of endogamy makes the people
narrow-minded.
3) Impact of urbanization:- Urbanization indirectly favouring casteism. Due to
the impact of industrialization people migrate from the rural areas to urban
areas. When they go to a new place, naturally they search for their caste
people. They consider their own caste people as their own potential friends
and well-wishers. Hence it leads to strengthen caste feeling in casteism.
4) Increase in the means of transport and communication:- Advancement
and improvement in the means of transport and communication leads to a
better organization of caste. The feeling of casteism is also rapidly propagated
through the medium of newspaper.
5) Illiteracy:- Lack of illiteracy leads to narrow mindedness. Mostly the illiterate
people have more caste feelings. Hence it leads to casteism.
6) Belief in religious dogmas:- Due to illiteracy, people are governed by belief
in religious dogmas, blind beliefs and superstitions. Due to the practice of „Jati
Dharma‟ they take interest in their own caste. It leads to caste feeling and
casteism.
7) Social distance:- Especially in rural areas, people belong to the higher caste
maintain social distance from the lower castes. They maintain it through
different restrictions like inter-caste marriages, inter-dinner etc. The ideologies
of an individual tire conditioned exclusively by his caste norms and values.
This has given rise to casteism.
IMPACTS OR CONSEQUENCES OF CASTEISM
1) Hindrance to the development of National feeling:- Casteism divides people
in the name of caste and encourages intolerance, jealousy, rivalry and conflicts
among members of the caste. Caste clashes and tensions that arise in society
for one reason or other wreck the unity of society and damages social harmony.
2) Dangerous to democracy:- Caste and democracy cannot go together. Caste
is based on inequality whereas democracy assures equality and equal
opportunities to one and all. Since democracy and caste system are coexisting
in India clashes between them are inevitable. Indian politics has become very
much complicated because of the caste interference.
3) Encourages moral development:- Casteism contributes to the moral fall. It
encourages nepotism. It makes one go out of the way to help and favor people
of one‟s own caste.
4) Casteism leads to the negligence of talents and efficiency:- If candidates
are selected and appointments are made on the basis of caste, it definitely
damages talents, abilities and efficiencies of the people.
5) Casteism may even lead to Brain-Drain:- Casteism which comes in the way
of the recognition of merit and efficiency indirectly promotes brain-drain.
6) Corruption:- People inspired by the sense of casteism try to provide all kinds
of facilities to people who belong to their own caste and in doing so they resort
to all kinds of immoral and improper activities. In this way, extreme corruption
in the society is increasing.
7) Hindrance in technological efficiency:- Because the appointment of
government and private services is done on the basis of caste, there seems to
be continuing increase in the number of inefficient and worthless people. On
the other hand, the efficient and able individuals do not get the opportunity to
find employment. Thus a great obstacle is placed in the path of nation‟s
industrial and technological advance.
 REMEDIAL MEASURES OF CASTEISM
1) Proper education:- The greatest need for the solution of the problem of
casteism is proper education. The educational Institutions should be able to
provide an atmosphere in which caste distinctions are not encouraged.
2) Inter-caste marriage:- Another way of combating the continuing increase in
casteism is the encouragement of inter-caste marriage. Inter-caste marriage
provides an opportunity for two families belonging to different caste to come
together, not just two individuals, and understand each other.
3) Lesser use of the word ‘caste’:- One way of solving the problem of casteism
is to make less frequent use of the word „caste‟ so that there may be no traces
of it left in the minds of the impressionable children.
4) Elections:- During elections an appeal to caste feelings should be prohibited
and made punishable.
5) Cultural and economic equality:- Another way of facing the problem of
casteism is to introduce cultural and economic equality in the minds and the
lives of the various castes. Inequality in the sphere of cultural and economic
welfare between the races promotes jealousy and competition among them
which later assumed the form of casteism.
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