Social Categories and Social Interaction in Urban India<sup>1</sup>

Berreman, Gerald D.

doi:10.1525/aa.1972.74.3.02a00220

Cited by 41 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Gorenburg (2000) revealed that support for nationalism within an ethnic group is neither constant nor random. To what extent caste classification depends on context has been reported by Levine (1987) and Berreman (1972). Brubaker et al (2006) show in their study of an ethnically mixed town in Transylvania that despite elite-level nationalist discourses against the ethnic minority, ordinary people of both the majority and minority do not seem to be preoccupied very much by questions of ethnic differences.…”

Section: The Actors' Perceptions and Categorisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

Helbling¹

2008

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A m s t e r d a m U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s dissertatioNs imiscoe Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood IMISCOE (International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion) IMISCOE is a Network of Excellence uniting over 500 researchers from various institutes that specialise in migration studies across Europe. Networks of Excellence are cooperative research ventures that were created by the European Commission to help overcome the fragmentation of international studies. They amass a crucial source of knowledge and expertise to help inform European leadership today.Since its foundation in 2004, IMISCOE has advanced an integrated, multidisciplinary and globally comparative research programme to address the themes specified in its name, short for: International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe. IMISCOE members come from all branches of the economic and social sciences, the humanities and law. The Network draws from existing studies and advances innovative lines of inquiry key to European policymaking and governance. Priority is placed on developing a theoretical design to promote new research and offer practical alternatives for sound policy.The IMISCOE -Amsterdam University Press Series was created to make the Network's findings and results available to researchers, policymakers, the media and the public at large. High-quality manuscripts authored by IMISCOE members and cooperating partners are published in one of four distinct series.Research Reports Dissertations TextbooksThe RESEARCH series presents empirical and theoretical scholarship addressing issues of international migration, integration and social cohesion in Europe. Authored by experts in the field, the works provide a rich reference source for researchers and other concerned parties.The REPORTS series responds to needs for knowledge within IMISCOE's mandated fields of migration research. Compiled by leading specialists, the works disseminate succinct and timely information for European policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders.The DISSERTATIONS series showcases select PhD monographs written by IMI-SCOE doctoral candidates. The works span an array of fields within studies of international migration, integration and social cohesion in Europe.The TEXTBOOKS series produces manuals, handbooks and other didactic tools developed by specialists in migration studies. The works are used within the IMISCOE training programme and for educational purposes by academic institutes worldwide.IMISCOE Policy Briefs and more information on the Network can be found at www.imiscoe.org. Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood Naturalisations in Swiss MunicipalitiesMarc Helbling IMISCOE Dissertations

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Section: The Actors' Perceptions and Categorisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

Helbling¹

2008

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“…Though the Indians I met might seem inconsistent, when followed from one situation to another, their conformity was striking to the situation once defined-as if the participants were eager to play out the scenario of a caste order, though the categories used for identification (Berreman 1972) did not always designate castes. The same person could be a teacher once, a Rajput next or a member of a sect in a third situation.…”

Section: IIImentioning

confidence: 97%

From the Indian Individual to Hierarchising Discourse: Elements for a Theory of Caste

Tambs-Lyche¹

2015

The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology

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To understand caste in India we must explain the particularity of this mode of stratification, while avoiding an essentialism that isolates caste from other social forms. Stratification appeared in India long before an emic model of caste. Yet in contemporary India, I found actors concerned to place themselves in a rank order, even in ephemeral situations. I outline an Indian concept of the individual, characterised by relative immunity of the self to the social sphere, and argue that this immunity acts as a shield to keep ranking apart from the self. Indian actors show their social capability by adapting to situations rather than imposing a consistent personality across them. Local stratification is explained by actors in a historical mode, as if history was an interactional sequence played out between communities rather than individuals. Indigenous models of society provide an alternative explanatory mode, as when Brahmins claim the superior position. Their holistic model, however, is matched by king-centred and merchant-centred models. Subalterns have yet other views of Indian society. I argue that holistic models in India are constructions of the dominant, and should not be taken to represent 'Indian culture'. Indian society should rather be seen as plural, with several emic models used to describe and explain it. Still, the tendency to create rank in so many situations points to particular rules of interaction and discourse, which implies talking 'as if' hierarchy, in the Dumontian sense, was an objective reality.I Caste remains enigmatic, and a problem in understanding social stratification in India. Dumont (1966) proposed a holistic, hierarchical model centred on the Brahmins, while Quigley (1993) argued for a king-centred model.

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“…In this paper, we define these social views as essentialist beliefs*the folk belief that an essence determines category membership (Gelman and Hirschfeld 1999;Yzerbyt and Rogier 2001)*such that those who are more likely to see essential differences between groups are more likely to believe in the stability of social hierarchies (Mahalingam 2003). Thus, essentialist beliefs may be particularly prevalent in Indian society as a means through which to maintain power relationships present in the caste system, which dictates that an individual's social status is established at birth from her/his parents regardless of the individual's personal attributes (Berreman 1960(Berreman , 1967Kurien 2001).…”

Section: Identity and Attitude Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding East Indians' Attitudes Toward African Americans: Do Mainstream Prejudicial Attitudes Transfer to Immigrants?

Philip¹,

Mahalingam

Sellers

2010

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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Social Categories and Social Interaction in Urban India¹

Cited by 41 publications

References 29 publications

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

From the Indian Individual to Hierarchising Discourse: Elements for a Theory of Caste

Understanding East Indians' Attitudes Toward African Americans: Do Mainstream Prejudicial Attitudes Transfer to Immigrants?

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Social Categories and Social Interaction in Urban India1

Cited by 41 publications

References 29 publications

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

From the Indian Individual to Hierarchising Discourse: Elements for a Theory of Caste

Understanding East Indians' Attitudes Toward African Americans: Do Mainstream Prejudicial Attitudes Transfer to Immigrants?

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Social Categories and Social Interaction in Urban India¹