Layla Quinones
Professor Straughn-Williams
SSA101.1807
December 9, 2008
Final Paper
Social Strata in India and the United States
As a result of increasing populations, various governments around the world have
developed socially stratified societies as a means to control their inhabitants. In these societies
“people are hierarchy divided and ranked into social strata…and do not share equally in basic
resources that support survival” (Haviland, 2008; 258). More specifically, the Hindu cast system
in India and the social class system in the United States of America are two examples of social
stratification that have been developed to control a large population into a manageable number of
social categories. Although these two forms of taxonomy are distinct and unique in their own
right, they are very similar in the sense that they control a large heterogeneous group of people
with many diverse values and norms, by regulating the roles that each stratum plays in society.
However, as a consequence of classifying people into various social categories with different
roles and interests, many inequalities have surfaced. In essence, these inequalities are a result of
the value and influence that each stratum carries in the society as a whole.
The social cast system in India is a form of social stratification that originates from the
Hindu religion. Due to the religious belief in karma, this system is composed of “closed social
[classes]… in which the membership is determined by birth and fixed for life” (Haviland, 2008;
259). In other words, the upward mobility for people of a lower cast into a higher cast is nearly
impossible due to the fundamental belief that cast is determined by “ritual purity” or, the amount
of religious influence in accordance with prestige held by each group (Haviland, 2008; 259). As
a consequence, members of a certain social cast are confined to their stratum’s distinct
occupations, customs, guidelines and limitations. For example, the Dalit cast is the lowest cast
possible in India which is composed of people who are regarded as the “untouchables”
(Haviland, 2008; 260). These people are considered impure and are commonly subjected to
humiliation, segregation, and discrimination by the higher casts. Individuals who are part of this
cast are also exploited for their cheap labor and as in all other casts, must marry endogomously
into their respective cast in order to maintain the integrity of their family’s blood line. On the
other hand, the Kshatriya cast is the second to highest stratum composed of powerful fighters and
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rulers (Haviland, 2008; 260). These people are the governing class of India who are considered
very wealthy, prestigious and perceived as close to the Gods therefore, they were born with the
privilege to govern their societies. Furthermore, the religious belief in karma conditions people
of lower casts to behave accordingly, so as to not jeopardize their upward movement into higher
categories when they are reincarnated.
A similar system of stratification is the class system used in the United States. As seen in
the film People Like Us, this system is composed of an upper, middle and lower social class in
which its members share interests, opinions and a common outlook on life. Like in India,
individuals are usually born into their respective classes giving them certain limitations and
guidelines to follow. The upper class is composed of social elites who are wealthy and usually
become powerful figures in society, such as politicians or the owners of major corporations
(Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker, 2001). On the other hand, the lower class is composed of
hard working people who are poor and usually stay within their strata due to race, lifestyle and
the occupations that are available to them with little or no opportunity for upward mobility. For
example, Karen Brodkin Sacks asserts in her article “How Did Jews Become White Folks,” that
“the United States has a history of anti-Semitism and of beliefs that Jews [and African
Americans] were members of an inferior race” therefore, they were classified as low-class and,
not given the privileges and opportunities that the Anglo-Saxon Americans of the upper-class
were given (1996; 79, 87-88). As a result, many forms of oppression and social inequality are
present in the lower classes of the American class system.
Although the systems of stratification in India and the United States contrast greatly, they
both are fundamentally similar in many ways. In both countries, social class determines an
individual’s profession, associates, language, diet, opportunities and overall lifestyle. For
example the lowest casts in India, the Dalits and the Shudras, are considered servants for the
higher strata. (Haviland, 2008; 260) In America, the middle and lower classes are considered
working classes in which individuals provide services for the wealthier upper class. Generally,
both societies are governed by individuals who are considered social elites and the most “pure”
of people in the society. This dominant status allows them to impose their opinions on society
and therefore, create a universal norm that should be followed by the country’s inhabitants. F.
James Davis points out many aspects of social class systems in his article “Who is Black?” He
states “it is the position on the class ladder...that determines who gets into the club,” the
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“wealthier whites [exploit] and [control] the poor whites and [encourage] anti-black attitudes and
actions to keep blacks under control” (1991;102). In the United States as well as in India,
individuals who are a part of the lowest stratum are oppressed and treated unequally in the sense
that they work more, do not have as many opportunities, and are exploited by the higher strata.
Here, Davis also touches on the fact that those who are in the lower classes are encouraged and
conditioned to stay within their respective stratum. He also notes that in the United States,
individuals who have governed the country have originated from the upper class, are wealthy,
associate with other politicians and have studied at the most prestigious schools in America. This
idea of a “ruling class” also exists in India where warriors and rulers are exclusively from the
Kshatriya cast and, those who make the laws are from the highest cast the Brahamans (Haviland,
2008, 259-260). In both societies, social stratification ensures that those with social prestige will
govern the country according to similar values and lifestyles that are based on the “ideal” way of
life. As Daniel D. Huff asserts in her article “Upside-Down Welfare,” in the United States” the
upper groups in society dominate the political system, make the rules of society, and have major
influence on its politics” therefore, many of the rules and programs enforced by the government
“will be more generous to the rich and the middle classes than to the poor [lower class]” (Huff,
1992; 177). As a consequence, inequality surfaces for individuals of the lower classes who are
perceived as inferior to the upper classes.
Karen Bordkin Sacks reinforces Davis’ idea that the U.S. government has tried to control
the classes in the sense of upward mobility in her article “How Did Jews Become White Folks?”
when she describes how governments impose limitations on the upward class movement of
individuals according to their race, in order to control who benefits most in society (1996). This
is closely associated with the exclusiveness of the upper-class and the limitations on who enters
and exits. These limitations are also present in the Indian cast system where as, the individuals
belonging to a particular cast cannot move upward or downward due to the religious belief in
karma. In this way, governments control individuals according to their social stratum so as to
ensure that they would not interfere with any of the higher stratum’s way of life.
In all, the social stratifications of India and the United States are unique however, similar
in many ways. The class and cast systems are both ultimately a means to control the increasing
population of their respective societies. Although laws have been passed in both countries to
prevent inequalities within lower classes, the unequal positions of social strata are held together
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mainly by traditional and cultural beliefs that the wealthier classes are superior to the poorer
classes and therefore, are held in higher regard. For instance, although laws against segregation
and discrimination have been passed, discrimination still prevails socially in both India and the
United States (Haviland, 2008; 260). Inequalities are still present and privileges are still given to
the higher strata that are not given to the lower strata. This makes being a part of the lower strata
unfairly disadvantageous. Despite efforts to equalize social class, there will always be inequality
due to social stratification that negatively impact lives are all over the world
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Works Cited
Alvarez, Louis and Andrew Kolker. (Director). (2001). People Like Us. [Videotape]. Boston:
PBS Video.
Davis, F. James. (1991). Who is Black?: On Nation’s Definition. University Park: Pennsylvania
State University Press. (82-122).
Haviland, William A ., Harald Prins, Dana Walrath & Bunny McBride. (2008). Cultural
Anthropology (12th ed.).(250-266)
Huff, Daniel D. (1992) Upside-Down Welfare. In Public Welfare. (177-183).
Sacks, Karen Brodkin. (1996). How Did Jews Become White Folks. Race. 78-102.
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