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Caste and class are two different forms of social discrimination since the caste system is closely connected to Hindu religious beliefs, and class is the outcome of economic exploitation, depicting mainly two hierarchies, the rich and the poor. Though caste is theorised as a “rigorously ordained hierarchy” as defined by Dumont in his book Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and Its Implications (1980), it simultaneously acts as a background for material exploitation. Almost all the Marxists believe that class is the key factor in determining social discrimination, while the followers of Ambedkar believe that it is caste that plays the most significant role in forming the grounds for all social discrimination and oppression. It is, however, obvious that in the Indian context of social discrimination, caste and class are closely associated. Both of these systems primarily lead to the creation of social rifts by acquiring some sort of power. Class division denotes a power structure where the upper class, powered with land and property, oppresses and rules the lower-class people to take control over knowledge and means of production, such as land and industry. However, the caste system paves the way for society to be divided into two classes. According to the caste system, different communities are assigned different tasks based on their birth identity. It is evident from this allotment of tasks that while the first three castes (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas) have the right to control the means of production, the Dalits are clearly deprived in this regard. As a result, the ruling classes are the ones who have material control, and they are the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, and the Vaishyas by caste. The ruled ones are those who are deprived of everything and engaged in works on the lands of the upper class; they are the Dalits, the erstwhile untouchables. So, it is easily comprehensible from this explanation that from the very beginning, caste and class have been interrelated in the Indian social order. Anupama Rao in her essay “Ramchandra Babaji More and the Itineraries of Dalit Modernity” in the book Memoirs of a Dalit Communist: The Many Worlds of R.B. More (2020) writes:

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Caste–Class Antagonisms

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Shubhendu Shekhar Naskar

摘要

Caste and class are two different forms of social discrimination since the caste system is closely connected to Hindu religious beliefs, and class is the outcome of economic exploitation, depicting mainly two hierarchies, the rich and the poor. Though caste is theorised as a “rigorously ordained hierarchy” as defined by Dumont in his book Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and Its Implications (1980), it simultaneously acts as a background for material exploitation. Almost all the Marxists believe that class is the key factor in determining social discrimination, while the followers of Ambedkar believe that it is caste that plays the most significant role in forming the grounds for all social discrimination and oppression. It is, however, obvious that in the Indian context of social discrimination, caste and class are closely associated. Both of these systems primarily lead to the creation of social rifts by acquiring some sort of power. Class division denotes a power structure where the upper class, powered with land and property, oppresses and rules the lower-class people to take control over knowledge and means of production, such as land and industry. However, the caste system paves the way for society to be divided into two classes. According to the caste system, different communities are assigned different tasks based on their birth identity. It is evident from this allotment of tasks that while the first three castes (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas) have the right to control the means of production, the Dalits are clearly deprived in this regard. As a result, the ruling classes are the ones who have material control, and they are the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, and the Vaishyas by caste. The ruled ones are those who are deprived of everything and engaged in works on the lands of the upper class; they are the Dalits, the erstwhile untouchables. So, it is easily comprehensible from this explanation that from the very beginning, caste and class have been interrelated in the Indian social order. Anupama Rao in her essay “Ramchandra Babaji More and the Itineraries of Dalit Modernity” in the book Memoirs of a Dalit Communist: The Many Worlds of R.B. More (2020) writes: