Caste: Religion and Society in India

References to caste are common in religious texts from the classical period in South Asian history and even before. In the colonial era, caste was understood by the British as a defining characteristic of social life, and in independent India it has taken on new salience in the political mobilization especially of lower caste communities. Clearly, caste is an institution that must be reckoned with by students who seek to understand religion in India. This article will introduce some of the basics about caste, proceeding more or less in reverse chronological order from the more recent times backwards, with a section at the end on theories about caste.