,INTRODUCTION
-relationship, inter-
connectedness, and inter-dependence of the different parts of society. In terms of their form,
all societies have the same parts. Thus, there are groups and communities in all societies, but
the nature and substance of these groups and communities differ from one society to another.
For instance, an Indian village is unthinkable without the caste system, while a Chinese village
does not have castes. Its units are the people of different families and occupational groups. The
sense of identity that the people of different groups have is also seen at the level of the people
of different families and occupational groups in Chinese villages. The inter-relationship
of the different units constitutes the structure of the society.
COMPONENTS IN RURAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Caste
Caste is the fundamental principle of social organization in th Indian village. As Louis Dumont
said in his work titled Homo Hierarchicus, castes are arranged in a hierarchy based on the
principles of purity and impurity, which in fact give distinctiveness to the caste system, because
no other system of ranking in the world makes use of these principles. The caste occupying the
highest position is ritually the purest, and as one goes down the hierarchy, purity decreases
while impurity increases. Those placed at the bottom of the hierarchy, the people who at one
to be
as, impurity incurred by
menstruation, death, or birth), which is overcome with the performance of rituals, but no ritual
,Class
Class is an indicator of the distribution of economic inequality in the society. The ter
-making ability,
by which some, as Max Weber says, are able to impose their will on others and seek compliance
from them. Ideally, class and power are subordinated to caste. A Brahmin, even if poor,
occupies the highest position in the caste hierarchy and commands unlimited respect from other
castes. At one time, the Kshatriya kings wielded power, but the Brahmin priest officiated in the
ritual that accorded them legitimacy to rule. The producers of economic wealth, the merchant
castes (the Vaishyas) pursue different wealth generating occupations, and are placed just above
classical texts put it. In some parts of India, there was a clear overlapping of the three ranked
orders of caste, class, and power. For instance, both André Béteille and Kathleen Gough, in
their respective studies of villages Sripuram and Kumbapettai, found that
the Brahmins, who numbered around four per cent of the total population of South India, owned
around ninety-eight per cent of the land, which they abstained from tilling because of religious
injunctions that did not allow Brahmins to touch ploughs. The Brahmins, who lived in their
separate quarters called agraharam, were also in control of political power. Therefore, being a
Brahmin also meant occupying the highest position in class and power hierarchies. This was
an example of what after Robert Dahl
social status together with economic and political power are all concentrated in one group, the
Brahmins.
Jajmani System
Jajmani system is considered as the backbone of rural economy and social order. It is a system
of traditional occupational obligations. In rural India Jajmani system is very much linked with
caste system. Etymologically, the term Jajman has been derived from the Sanskrit word
Yajman, which means a person who performs a yajna. Thus if some yajna is to be performed
for that the services of some Brahmins are essentially needed. It was gradually that its use was
made common to everyone who hired services or to whom the services were given. It could be
said that the Jajmani system is a system of distribution whereby high caste land owning families
are provided services and products of various lower castes such as Khati (Carpenter), Nai
(Barber), Kumhars (Potters), Lobars (Blacksmiths), Dhobi (Washer man), Sweeper (Chuhra)
, etc. The servicing castes are called Kamins while the castes served are called Jajmans. For
services rendered the servicing castes are paid in cash or in kind (grains, fodder, clothes, animal
products like milk, butter etc.) Kamin means who works for some body or services him.
Social Mobility
A person born into a caste will always belong to it as a life-long member. In his/her future
births, because of good deeds, he/she may be born into a superior caste. In other words,
theoretically, upward mobility is not possible within the caste system, except for women who
may move up by means of hypergamous marriages. Similarly, downward mobility results from
hypogamous marriages. Economic opportunities are considerably limited in villages.
Agricultural surplus is not significant either. Virtually nothing is left with the peasants after
they have made the jajmani payments. Barring the big landlords, others in villages live rather
precariously, often hand to mouth. Those, who have been able to move out to towns and cities
for work, have been able to make some money, which they have invested in buying agricultural
land, but the number of such families is not large. The point to be emphasized here is that class
mobility was also non-existent in the village.
Familly
A joint family is defined as an aggregate of kinspersons who share a common residence, a
common kitchen, a common purse including property, and a common set of religious objects.
Generally, a joint family has a name, which in many cases is given/taken after the name of its
founder. It has a depth of more than two generations. It is not uncommon to come across joint
families that have members of four generations living together. Although joint families are
found more in the rural than in the urban areas, where most of the families happen to be nuclear,
one should not conclude that all castes in a village have the tradition of joint families. It has
been observed that upper castes, which are also land owners in many cases, have a higher
proportion of joint families than the lower castes, the less propertied as well as the non-
propertied ones, which tend to have a higher number of nuclear families.
-relationship, inter-
connectedness, and inter-dependence of the different parts of society. In terms of their form,
all societies have the same parts. Thus, there are groups and communities in all societies, but
the nature and substance of these groups and communities differ from one society to another.
For instance, an Indian village is unthinkable without the caste system, while a Chinese village
does not have castes. Its units are the people of different families and occupational groups. The
sense of identity that the people of different groups have is also seen at the level of the people
of different families and occupational groups in Chinese villages. The inter-relationship
of the different units constitutes the structure of the society.
COMPONENTS IN RURAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Caste
Caste is the fundamental principle of social organization in th Indian village. As Louis Dumont
said in his work titled Homo Hierarchicus, castes are arranged in a hierarchy based on the
principles of purity and impurity, which in fact give distinctiveness to the caste system, because
no other system of ranking in the world makes use of these principles. The caste occupying the
highest position is ritually the purest, and as one goes down the hierarchy, purity decreases
while impurity increases. Those placed at the bottom of the hierarchy, the people who at one
to be
as, impurity incurred by
menstruation, death, or birth), which is overcome with the performance of rituals, but no ritual
,Class
Class is an indicator of the distribution of economic inequality in the society. The ter
-making ability,
by which some, as Max Weber says, are able to impose their will on others and seek compliance
from them. Ideally, class and power are subordinated to caste. A Brahmin, even if poor,
occupies the highest position in the caste hierarchy and commands unlimited respect from other
castes. At one time, the Kshatriya kings wielded power, but the Brahmin priest officiated in the
ritual that accorded them legitimacy to rule. The producers of economic wealth, the merchant
castes (the Vaishyas) pursue different wealth generating occupations, and are placed just above
classical texts put it. In some parts of India, there was a clear overlapping of the three ranked
orders of caste, class, and power. For instance, both André Béteille and Kathleen Gough, in
their respective studies of villages Sripuram and Kumbapettai, found that
the Brahmins, who numbered around four per cent of the total population of South India, owned
around ninety-eight per cent of the land, which they abstained from tilling because of religious
injunctions that did not allow Brahmins to touch ploughs. The Brahmins, who lived in their
separate quarters called agraharam, were also in control of political power. Therefore, being a
Brahmin also meant occupying the highest position in class and power hierarchies. This was
an example of what after Robert Dahl
social status together with economic and political power are all concentrated in one group, the
Brahmins.
Jajmani System
Jajmani system is considered as the backbone of rural economy and social order. It is a system
of traditional occupational obligations. In rural India Jajmani system is very much linked with
caste system. Etymologically, the term Jajman has been derived from the Sanskrit word
Yajman, which means a person who performs a yajna. Thus if some yajna is to be performed
for that the services of some Brahmins are essentially needed. It was gradually that its use was
made common to everyone who hired services or to whom the services were given. It could be
said that the Jajmani system is a system of distribution whereby high caste land owning families
are provided services and products of various lower castes such as Khati (Carpenter), Nai
(Barber), Kumhars (Potters), Lobars (Blacksmiths), Dhobi (Washer man), Sweeper (Chuhra)
, etc. The servicing castes are called Kamins while the castes served are called Jajmans. For
services rendered the servicing castes are paid in cash or in kind (grains, fodder, clothes, animal
products like milk, butter etc.) Kamin means who works for some body or services him.
Social Mobility
A person born into a caste will always belong to it as a life-long member. In his/her future
births, because of good deeds, he/she may be born into a superior caste. In other words,
theoretically, upward mobility is not possible within the caste system, except for women who
may move up by means of hypergamous marriages. Similarly, downward mobility results from
hypogamous marriages. Economic opportunities are considerably limited in villages.
Agricultural surplus is not significant either. Virtually nothing is left with the peasants after
they have made the jajmani payments. Barring the big landlords, others in villages live rather
precariously, often hand to mouth. Those, who have been able to move out to towns and cities
for work, have been able to make some money, which they have invested in buying agricultural
land, but the number of such families is not large. The point to be emphasized here is that class
mobility was also non-existent in the village.
Familly
A joint family is defined as an aggregate of kinspersons who share a common residence, a
common kitchen, a common purse including property, and a common set of religious objects.
Generally, a joint family has a name, which in many cases is given/taken after the name of its
founder. It has a depth of more than two generations. It is not uncommon to come across joint
families that have members of four generations living together. Although joint families are
found more in the rural than in the urban areas, where most of the families happen to be nuclear,
one should not conclude that all castes in a village have the tradition of joint families. It has
been observed that upper castes, which are also land owners in many cases, have a higher
proportion of joint families than the lower castes, the less propertied as well as the non-
propertied ones, which tend to have a higher number of nuclear families.
