M. N. Srinivas

Social Change in Modern India

1. IDEA 1

   Castes rise by copying higher castes

   Srinivas, a pioneering Indian sociologist, describes Sanskritisation, the process by which lower castes adopt the customs, rituals and lifestyles of higher castes to claim higher status. Over time, this could lift a group's position in the local hierarchy.

2. IDEA 2

   Caste was never fully fixed

   Srinivas argues that the caste system, though rigid in theory, allowed some movement in practice. Groups could rise over generations, especially if they gained land or power. In his view, change happened within the system as well as against it.

3. IDEA 3

   Western ways also spread

   Srinivas describes Westernisation, the changes brought by British rule, such as new technology, education, law and ideas. These affected Indian life in ways different from Sanskritisation. In his account, these two kinds of change often worked side by side.

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