Caste (Concepts in the Social Sciences)

This text examines the concept of caste, noting its origin in orientalist descriptions of Indian society, and showing how it made its way into social scientific discourse as a tool for the comparative analysis of social stratification. It reviews social scientists' accounts of caste in contemporary India, discussing the theoretical assumptions underlying such descriptions. The author takes issue with the view of caste which regards it as specific to Hindu India and makes a case for a comparative sociology concerned with social processes.