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CompetitiveExams:ClassSystemExamrace

Theclasssystemisuniversalphenomenondenotingacategoryorgroupofpersonshavingadefinitestatusinsocietywhich
permanentlydeterminestheirrelationtoothergroups.Thesocialclassesaredefactogroups(notlegallyorreligiouslydefinedand
sanctioned)theyarerelativelyopennotclosed.
Theirbasisisindisputablyeconomicbuttheyaremorethaneconomicgroups.Theyarecharacteristicgroupsoftheindustrialsocieties
whichhavedevelopedsince17thcentury.Therelativeimportanceanddefinitionofmembershipinaparticularclassdiffersgreatlyover
timeandbetweensocieties,particularlyinsocietiesthathavealegaldifferentiationofgroupsofpeoplebybirthoroccupation.
Inthewellknownexampleofsocioeconomicclass,manyscholarsviewsocietiesasstratifyingintoahierarchicalsystembasedon
occupation,economicstatus,wealth,orincome.AccordingtoOgburnandNimkoffasocialclassistheaggregateofpersonshaving
essentiallythesamesocialstatusinagivensociety.
Marxdefinedclassintermsoftheextenttowhichanindividualorsocialgrouphascontroloverthemeansofproduction.InMarxist
termsaclassisagroupofpeopledefinedbytheirrelationshiptothemeansofproduction.Classesareseentohavetheirorigininthe
divisionofthesocialproductintoanecessaryproductandasurplusproduct.
Marxistsexplainhistoryintermsofawarofclassesbetweenthosewhocontrolproductionandthosewhoactuallyproducethegoodsor
servicesinsociety(andalsodevelopmentsintechnologyandthelike).IntheMarxistviewofcapitalismthisisaconflictbetween
capitalists(bourgeoisie)andwageworkers(proletariat).
Classantagonismisrootedinthesituationthatcontroloversocialproductionnecessarilyentailscontrolovertheclasswhichproduces
goodsincapitalismthisistheexploitationofworkersbythebourgeoisie.Marxsawclasscategoriesasdefinedbycontinuinghistorical
processes.Classes,inMarxism,arenotstaticentities,butareregenerateddailythroughtheproductiveprocess.
Marxismviewsclassesashumansocialrelationshipswhichchangeovertime,withhistoricalcommonalitycreatedthroughshared
productiveprocesses.
A17thcenturyfarmlabourerwhoworkedfordaywagessharesasimilarrelationshiptoproductionasanaverageofficeworkerofthe
21stcentury.Inthisexampleitisthesharedstructureofwagelabourthatmakesbothoftheseindividualsworkingclass.
AccordingtoWeberamorecomplexdivisionoflabourmadetheclassmoreheterogeneous.Incontrasttosimpleincomeproperty
hierarchies,andtostructuralclassschemeslikeWeber'sorMarx's,therearetheoriesofclassbasedonotherdistinctions,suchas
cultureoreducationalattainment.
Attimes,socialclasscanberelatedtoelitismandthoseinthehigherclassareusuallyknownasthesocialelite.
Forexample,BourdieuseemstohaveanotionofhighandlowclassescomparabletothatofMarxism,insofarastheirconditionsare
definedbydifferenthabitus,whichisinturndefinedbydifferentobjectivelyclassifiableconditionsofexistence.
Infact,oneoftheprincipaldistinctionsBourdieumakesisadistinctionbetweenbourgeoisietasteandtheworkingclasstaste.Social
classisasegmentofsocietywithallthemembersofallagesandboththesexeswhosharethesamegeneralstatus.Maclversays
wheneversocialintercourseislimitedbytheconsiderationofsocialstatusbydistinctionsbetweenhigherandlowerthereexistsasocial
class.

CharacteristicsofSocialClass
Asocialclassisessentiallyastatusgroup.Classisrelatedtostatus.Differentstatusesariseinasocietyaspeopledodifferentthings,
engageindifferentactivitiesandpursuedifferentvocations.Statusinthecaseofclasssystemisachievedandnotascribed.Birthisnot
thecriterionofstatus.Achievementsofanindividualmostlydecidehisstatus.
Classisalmostuniversalphenomenon.Itoccursinallthemoderncomplexsocietiesoftheworld.Eachsocialclasshasitsownstatusin
thesociety.Statusisassociatedwithprestige.Therelativepositionoftheclassinthesocialsetuparisesfromthedegreeofprestige
attachedtothestatus.Asocialclassisrelativelyastablegroup.
Asocialclassisdistinguishedfromotherclassesbyitscustomarymodesofbehaviour.Thisisoftenreferredtoasthelifestylesofa
particularclass.Itincludesmodeofdress,kindoflivingthemeansofrecreationandculturalproductsoneisabletoenjoy,the
relationshipbetweenparentandchildren.Lifestylesreflectthespecialtyinpreferences,tastesandvaluesofaclass.
Socialclassesareopengroups.Theyrepresentanopensocialsystem.Anopenclasssystemisoneinwhichverticalsocialmobilityis
possible.Thebasisofsocialclassesismostlyeconomicbuttheyarenotmereeconomicgroupsordivisions.Subjectivecriteriasuchas
classconsciousness,classsolidarityandclassidentificationontheonhandandtheobjectivecriteriasuchaswealth,property,income,
educationandoccupationontheotherhandareequallyimportantintheclasssystem.
Classsystemisassociatedwithclassconsciousness.Itisasentimentthatcharacterizestherelationsofmentowardsthemembersof
theirownandotherclasses.Itconsistsintherealizationofasimilarityofattitudeandbehaviorwithmembersofotherclasses.
Sociologistshavegiventhreefoldclassificationofclasseswhichconsistsofupperclass,middleclassandlowerclass.Sorokinhasspoken
ofthreemajortypesofclassstratificationtheyareeconomic,politicalandoccupationalclasses.LloydWarnershowshowclass
distinctionscontributetosocialstability.
Veblenanalyzedtheconsumptionpatternoftherichclassbytheconceptofconspicuousconsumption.Warnerhasclassifiedclassesinto
sixtypesupperupperclass,uppermiddleclass,upperlowerclass,lowerupperclass,thelowermiddleclassandlowerclass.Anthony
Giddens'sthreeclassmodelistheupper,middleandlower(working)class.
MaclverandPagedefinessocialclassasanyportionofthecommunitymarkedofffromtherestbysocialstatus.MaxWebersuggest
thatsocialclassesareaggregatesofindividualswhohavethesameopportunitiesofacquiringgoods,thesameexhibitedstandardof
living.Heformulatedathreecomponenttheoryofstratificationwithsocial,statusandpartyclasses(orpolitics)asconceptuallydistinct
elements.
Socialclassisbasedoneconomicrelationshiptothemarket(owner,renter,employee,etc.)
Statusclasshastodowithnoneconomicqualitiessuchaseducation,honourandprestige
Partyclassreferstofactorshavingtodowithaffiliationsinthepoliticaldomain

Jajmanisystem
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CompetitiveExams:ClassSystemExamrace

WilliamHWiserintroducedthetermJajmanisysteminthevocabularyofIndiansociologythroughhisbookTheHinduJajmanisystem
wherehedescribedindetailhowdifferentcastegroupinteractwitheachotherintheproductionandexchangeofgoodsandservices.In
differentpartsofIndiadifferenttermsareusedtodescribethiseconomicinteractionamongthecastesforexampleinMaharashtrathe
termBalutadarisused.
Howeverinsociologicalliteraturejajmanisystemhascometobeacceptedasageneraltermtodescribetheeconomicinteraction
betweenthecastesatthevillagelevel.Thissystemisalsoaritualsystemconcernedwiththeaspectsofpurityandpollutionaswith
economicaspects.Itfunctionssothatthehighestcasteremainspurewhilethelowestcastesabsorbpollutionfromthem.
Villagesarecomposedofnumberofjatiseachhavingitsoccupationalspeciality.Jajmanisystemisessentiallyanagriculturebased
systemofproductionanddistributionofgoodsandservices.Throughjajmanirelationstheseoccupationaljatisgetlinkedwiththeland
owningdominantcaste.Thejajmanisystemoperatesaroundthefamiliesbelongingtothelandowningdominantcastethenumbersof
whicharecalledjajmans.
Thelandowningcasteoccupyaprivilegedpositioninthejajmanirelations.Theinteractionbetweenoccupationalcastesandtheland
owningcastestakeplacewithintheframeworkofnonreciprocalandasymmetricaltypeofrelations.Thelandowningcastesmaintaina
paternalisticattitudeofsuperioritytowardstheiroccupationalcastesthatarecalledKaminsinNorthIndia.ThetermKaminmeansone
whoworksforsomebodyorserveshim.
IntermsofKarlPolanyi'sclassificationofexchangesystemJajmaniexchangecanbetermedasredistributivesystemofexchange.The
Functionalistviewofjajmanisystemregardsitasthebasisofselfsufficiency,unity,harmonyandstabilityinthevillagecommunity.
HowevertheMarxistscholarsholdaverydifferentopinion.Theyregardthejajmanisystemasessentiallyexploitative,characterizedby
alatentconflictofinterestwhichcouldnotcrystallizeduetotheprevalentsocialsetup.Thusifinfuturetheconditionsofthelower
casteimproveanopenconflictbetweentheloweranduppercasteisinevitable.
OscarLewiswhostudiedRampurvillagenearDelhiandBiedelmnhasbeencriticaloftheJajmanisystemwhichtheyregardas
exploitative.Accordingtothemthemembersofoccupationaljatisarelargelylandlesslabourersandhavenoresourcestowagea
struggleagainstthedominantcasteoutofthecompulsionoftheneedforsurvival.
Theysuccumbtoallinjusticeperpetuatedbythelandowningdominantcastewhoenjoybotheconomicandpoliticalpower.Scholarslike
Berreman,HaroldGouldandPaulineKolendaetcacceptthatthereisanelementoftruthinboththefunctionalistandMarxistviewsof
thejajmanisystem.Theybelievethatconsensusandharmonyaswellasconflictandexploitationareprevalentinthevillagesociety.
AccordingtoDumontjajmanisystemmakesuseofhereditarypersonalrelationshipstoexpressthedivisionoflabour.Thissystemisa
ritualexpressionratherthanjustaneconomicarrangement.S.CDubereferstothesystemascorrespondingtothepresentationand
counterpresentationbywhichcastesasawholeareboundtogetherinavillagewhichismoreorlessuniversalinnature.Leachbelieves
thatthesystemmaintainsandregulatesthedivisionoflabourandeconomicinterdependenceofcastes.

Definitions&ThingstoRemember
Peculium:Aninstitutionintheestatesystemwhereasumofmoneyorsomepropertywasgiventoaslavebyhismaster.
Cartel:Agroupofindustrialistswhotogethermonopolizeorgaincompletecontroloverthemarket.
Differentialmobilization:Aprocesstakesplacewhenthechangesthatcastehasandundergoingcarriesitbeyondthetraditional
ascriptivedefinition.
Dahrendorfheldthatthedifferentialdistributionofauthorityleadstoclassformationandclassconflict.
Hillerobservedthatwhenaclasssystembecomesclosedtoverticalmobility,itbecomesacaste.
Marxwasthefirstonetointroducetheconceptofalienationintosociologicaltheory.
Srinivastermedindependenceamongcastesasverticalunity.
ItwasHuttonwhopointedoutthattheexclusivityandrangeofthecastepanchayatledtoanarrangementinwhichthemembersof
thecasteceasedtobemembersofthecommunityasawhole.
Aristotleclassifiedthesocietyintothreestrataguardians,auxiliariesandworkers.
MaxWebercharacterizedcasteasaclosedstatusgroup.
DavisandMoorestressedthatstratificationservedtoensureeffectiveroleallocationandperformance.
Senartadvocatedthereligioustheoryoftheoriginofcaste.
Parsonsheldthatsocietywouldrankhighlyandrewardthosewhoperformsuccessfullyintermsofsociety'svalues.
AccordingtoTawneyinestatesysteminequalityisnotprimarilyeconomicbutjudicial.
Nesfieldgavetheconceptofoccupationaltheoryofcaste.
MarxcategorizedIndiaundertheAsiaticModeofProduction.
Pelhamstatedthatthehighertheclassonebelongsthelessenisthepretencebecausethereislesstopretendto.Thisischief
reasonwhyourmannersarebetterthanotherpersons.
Proudhonstatedpropertyistheft.
Durkheimadvocatedaformofguildsocialism.
UtilitarianismisatheoreticaloutlookassociatedwiththenameofJBenthem.

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