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Key Issues in Asian Studies
Caste in India
“Diane Mines has produced a clear and compelling introduction to one of the world’s most complex and misunderstood social systems. This booklet offers an exhaustive overview of the anthropology and history of caste based on extensive reading and over two decades of ethnographic research in rural South India. It also speaks to the wider political and economic dimensions of caste as it is lived and debated in India today. Caste in India will be a most welcome addition to introductory courses in anthropology, history, sociology, geography, and political science.”
Bernard Bate
Associate Professor in Anthropology
Yale University
“Diane Mines deserves our deepest gratitude and admiration for writing this genial, scholarly and highly accessible book on so complex, controversial and challenging a topic of immense depth and breadth, arcane and ubiquitous, ancient and current, sublime and cruel: Caste in India. This work is ethnographically rich without being labyrinthine, historically grounded without being ensnarled in detail, informed by Indology and theory, yet conveyed with a very light touch. The prose is lucid and the arguments compelling. It is a book deserving the attention of the novice and the seasoned scholar of caste. It is a timely little-big-book.”
E. Valentine Daniel
Professor of Anthropology
Columbia University
From: Association for Asian Studies
Bernard Bate
Associate Professor in Anthropology
Yale University
“Diane Mines deserves our deepest gratitude and admiration for writing this genial, scholarly and highly accessible book on so complex, controversial and challenging a topic of immense depth and breadth, arcane and ubiquitous, ancient and current, sublime and cruel: Caste in India. This work is ethnographically rich without being labyrinthine, historically grounded without being ensnarled in detail, informed by Indology and theory, yet conveyed with a very light touch. The prose is lucid and the arguments compelling. It is a book deserving the attention of the novice and the seasoned scholar of caste. It is a timely little-big-book.”
E. Valentine Daniel
Professor of Anthropology
Columbia University
From: Association for Asian Studies
- GenresNonfiction
108 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 20, 2018
A brief discussion of the meaning,historical framing and impact of caste in India.
May 26, 2025
A Great work by Anthropologist Diane P. Mines.
It's a short work, which is easy to cover and digest.
I would recommend this work to everyone, who is curious about Caste in India.
I've been interested in Caste for a while. I wrote an Essay on Caste sometime-ago, with no conclusions. As I planned to read more, explore other areas to broaden my understanding.
I'd say the wait, breadth of covering more is helping me to notice nuances given by scholars.
B.R Ambedkar's works are popular in Caste.
I want to hear from Hindu responses.
I'd like to find how they view, understand from their own perspective.
This might allow me to conclude findings, discoveries or have enough material to publish.
In Tamil Nadu, politically, castes are essential for social-organization. The Rhetoric, might not validate, be accurate from history, yet popular to manage social-groups.
For example, I was surprised to find a famous Tamil Politician, inaccurate describe beliefs.
My key question, It's been a Century after Ambedkar has written on Caste. He describes, the problem of India's Caste as, "Origins of Mechanisms for Endogamy"
He clearly identified, went great in detail, gave lengthy prescriptive solutions.
Yet endogamy remains, did not change much in Tamil Nadu, Why?
This book describes Castes around villages in Tirunelveli.
The descriptions are from early 2000s, in rural setting.
I validate all the findings in this work.
It reminds me of a brilliant work.
Caste, Class, and Power in Tanjore Village by André Béteille.
Outline of this work:
1. Caste and Cultivation I:Mutuality Caste and Cultivation
2. Caste and Cultivation II: Centrality
3. Personhood and Rank
4. Caste and Colonialism
5. Caste and Indian Nationalism
6. Untouchability
7. Some Other Things to Know about Caste
8. Conclusion
Let me share brief excerpts from the work,
Chapter 3: Personhood and Ranking of Castes:
From Villages around Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
Streets are named for the caste groups that predominate.
What is more, the ordering of the streets from north to south, follows the generally recognized rankings of these castes.
That is, the northernmost street is the Agraharam, historically the neighborhood of vegetarian Brahmans. The next street is Pillaimar, home to high-ranking, vegetarian cultivators. Muppanar street is next, followed by Thevarmar.
Members of both of these castes eat meat, and, while the Muppanars are considered farmers and merchants, villagers associate Thevars with violence, partly as a result of their historical involvement with politics, rebellion, and military service and partly as a result of British designations of this caste as “criminal.”
While there was some debate about the relative ranking of these two meat-eating castes, many did agree that Thevars, being more associated with violence, ranked lower despite the fact that Thevars were the most politically and economically powerful caste in the village. (Power and purity, as we shall see, are different scales of value. Brahmans have purity but little power; Thevars have power but little purity.)
"Untouchables were considered so impure,
that they ought not to live in the village at all.
And even to this day some families from the higher castes,
balk at allowing Untouchables to enter their houses. "
I would say the social reality of in these village are Semi-feudal.
Customs, practices, beliefs are Semi-feudal, due to occupation.
If you are struck by the highlighted passage, explore news on consequences of inter-caste marriages in these villages.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
It's a short work, which is easy to cover and digest.
I would recommend this work to everyone, who is curious about Caste in India.
I've been interested in Caste for a while. I wrote an Essay on Caste sometime-ago, with no conclusions. As I planned to read more, explore other areas to broaden my understanding.
I'd say the wait, breadth of covering more is helping me to notice nuances given by scholars.
B.R Ambedkar's works are popular in Caste.
I want to hear from Hindu responses.
I'd like to find how they view, understand from their own perspective.
This might allow me to conclude findings, discoveries or have enough material to publish.
In Tamil Nadu, politically, castes are essential for social-organization. The Rhetoric, might not validate, be accurate from history, yet popular to manage social-groups.
For example, I was surprised to find a famous Tamil Politician, inaccurate describe beliefs.
My key question, It's been a Century after Ambedkar has written on Caste. He describes, the problem of India's Caste as, "Origins of Mechanisms for Endogamy"
He clearly identified, went great in detail, gave lengthy prescriptive solutions.
Yet endogamy remains, did not change much in Tamil Nadu, Why?
This book describes Castes around villages in Tirunelveli.
The descriptions are from early 2000s, in rural setting.
I validate all the findings in this work.
It reminds me of a brilliant work.
Caste, Class, and Power in Tanjore Village by André Béteille.
Outline of this work:
1. Caste and Cultivation I:Mutuality Caste and Cultivation
2. Caste and Cultivation II: Centrality
3. Personhood and Rank
4. Caste and Colonialism
5. Caste and Indian Nationalism
6. Untouchability
7. Some Other Things to Know about Caste
8. Conclusion
Let me share brief excerpts from the work,
Chapter 3: Personhood and Ranking of Castes:
From Villages around Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
Streets are named for the caste groups that predominate.
What is more, the ordering of the streets from north to south, follows the generally recognized rankings of these castes.
That is, the northernmost street is the Agraharam, historically the neighborhood of vegetarian Brahmans. The next street is Pillaimar, home to high-ranking, vegetarian cultivators. Muppanar street is next, followed by Thevarmar.
Members of both of these castes eat meat, and, while the Muppanars are considered farmers and merchants, villagers associate Thevars with violence, partly as a result of their historical involvement with politics, rebellion, and military service and partly as a result of British designations of this caste as “criminal.”
While there was some debate about the relative ranking of these two meat-eating castes, many did agree that Thevars, being more associated with violence, ranked lower despite the fact that Thevars were the most politically and economically powerful caste in the village. (Power and purity, as we shall see, are different scales of value. Brahmans have purity but little power; Thevars have power but little purity.)
"Untouchables were considered so impure,
that they ought not to live in the village at all.
And even to this day some families from the higher castes,
balk at allowing Untouchables to enter their houses. "
I would say the social reality of in these village are Semi-feudal.
Customs, practices, beliefs are Semi-feudal, due to occupation.
If you are struck by the highlighted passage, explore news on consequences of inter-caste marriages in these villages.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews