Social class vs. caste vs. social issues vs wealth, status and power in america

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Christina Emile

Professor Magrass

SOA 356

December 9, 2019

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Introduction

Social class is a hierarchy in which groups and individuals are categorized according

to prestige and esteem developed from wealth and economic success. A social class simply

means a set of individuals with the same levels of wealth, status and influence are grouped

together. According to Karl Marx Theory of social class, what differentiates one category of

a society from another it’s the method of production. Each method of production forms a

certain class system which controls the production while the other classes are the producers

and provide service to the prevailing class.

Sociologists use three approaches to determine a social class. The approaches used

include objective, reputational, and subjective methods. The objective method is where

sociologists measure and evaluate physical facts. On the subjective method, individuals are

questioned on how they think about themselves, while on the reputational method individuals

are asked on how they think about other people. Through this approach, people are divided

into various social classes.

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The four main social classes include the upper, middle, working and lower class.

These social classes only are classified in America. The upper class are the individuals that

have the supreme status in society. From my understanding these people are very wealthy

and have a lot of power. Some occupation of these individuals may be investors, CEOs ,

heirs and some celebrities. The middle class are individuals that are considered white collar

workers and these individuals may work in the professional setting. The working class are

the individuals of low status occupations such as manual labor, food and retail jobs, blue

collar jobs, jobs where you are in a cubicle, and even caring jobs such as home health aides.

The lower class, which is at the bottom, are individuals with low education that leads to low

status jobs which leads to low income.

According to the book Social Class and Stratification: Classic Statements and

Theoretical Debates edited by Rhonda F. Levine, she writes “When societies are complex

and service large populations, they always possess some kind of status system which, by its

own values, places people on higher or lower positions” (Levine 71). This quote stood out to

me because Levine is saying that is almost inevitable to not have a hierarchy within a society.

A system is put in place to have some kind of order within the society, so with a system

hierarchy is needed.

Caste systems

Caste is a method of social stratification categorized by endogamy, inherited

transmission of lifestyle that mainly includes formal status in a hierarchy, profession,

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customary social interaction and segregation centered on cultural perception of righteousness

and wickedness. Mostly applied in Hindu society to differentiate various groups based on

levels of pollution or ritual purity. According to the article, Caste and Distributive Justice:

Can Social Policy Address Durable Inequalities written by Sony Pellissery, Amrutha Jose

Pampackal and Partha Bopaiah, it states “The caste system may essentially be considered a

class system in that it entails division of labour, wherein Brahmin is the priestly class,

Kshatriya is the military class, Vaishya is the merchant class and Shudra comprises artisans

and menial workers. Outside this varna system falls the untouchables or “dalits”. This rigid

caste structure that prevented mobility warranted a revolt (Pellissery 787). Within the caste

system they have four levels which are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. These

different levels

Similarities between social classes and castes

Both social class system and caste system are categories of social stratification. They

are both methods of organizing society and have a habit of limiting social mobility. Social

stratification, takes place in societies and big groups of people in which individuals are

divided into diverse groups grounded on specific demographic factors. Another similarity

between social class system and caste system is that they both have discrimination (​Pellissery

793).​ In the society, it is not easy to find people from different groupings interacting closely

Both social class and caste systems are determined by birth. Transition from one

social rank to another occurs only in caste system but not in social class system. In both

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categories of social stratifications, the castes and upper classes are focused to

defend/maintain their positions and on the other hand also, the castes and lower class

continue to thrive for improved status and the advantages that come along with the status.

Differences between social classes and castes

According to Max Weber, both class and caste are status groups. Social classes are

mainly based on relation of production while the caste classes are alleged as inherited groups

with strong ritual Status. In social classes, persons in the same class have common life

chances, lifestyles, altitude and prestige while in caste system individuals have different life

opportunities and lifestyles since in the caste groupings the political and economic privileges

do not resolute the groupings but the ritual legitimation authorities.

In social class systems there are no formal restrictions on inter-marrying people from

different groupings. People are free to interact and marry from different groups or classes. In

caste system there are restriction since endogamy is highly practiced. In social class systems,

the classes are not created by religious or legal provisions while in Castes religion/rituals are

the core aspects that determine the classes. In addition, membership in social classes in not

inherited as it is the case in caste systems.

Another difference is that castes are mainly in India only while social classes are

found everywhere in the world (​Bidner, 150) According to Dumont caste is a special

distinctive phenomenon found only in India. In caste systems, non-economic aspects like

religion, for example, the theory of Karma matter a lot in the categorizing of the

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groups/classes. This is quite different from social classes since economic differences and

disparities in ownership and regulation of material resources are used to determine the

classes.

Feudalism, Capitalisms and Socialism and how they promise an ordinary person

Feudalism is a system of duties and land ownership. The land in the kingdom

belonged to the king. The soldiers who fought for the king were given some of the land. It

was a system of holding land in exchange for service and labor (Laclau, 178). A social

hierarchy was created grounded on local administrative control and land division into units

called fiefs. A land owner gave land on return with promise of military protection.

Capitalism is an economic system where people can have private businesses and own

capital goods for a profit. The prices, investments and distribution of goods are determined

by the private sector (​Mondal 354). With capitalism, you have more economic freedom in a

way because the government does not really control you because of your business helping

the system but it can also lead to inequality. Capitalism promises an ordinary person every

generation will rise depending on the generation before due to natural performance of market

economy.

Socialism is an economic and political theory which encourages that modes for

production, exchange and distribution to be posed by a collection of people. It discourages

private ownership of property. It promises an ordinary person that he or she will enjoy

maximum results of his or her labor.

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Formal and Substantive Equality

Formal equality refers to a belief that for fair treatment for all people to be considered

equal and no privileges over certain persons in the workplace (​Craig, 105). While substantive

equality does not only consider the recognition of equality for everybody but also points out

for fair treatment of the disadvantaged and marginalized persons in the society.

Conclusion

All in all, wealth, status and power in America are all divided by someone's social

class in society.

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Social class and stratification: classic statements and theoretical debates by rhonda f. Levine

Works cited

Bidner, Chris, and Mukesh Eswaran. "A gender-based theory of the origin of the caste

system of India." ​Journal of development economics​ 114 (2015): 142-158.

Craig, Paul. "Formal and substantive conceptions of the rule of law: an analytical

framework." ​The Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers​. Routledge, 2017. 95-115.

Laclau, Ernesto. "Feudalism and capitalism in Latin America." ​Promise of Development​.

Routledge, 2018. 166-190.

Mondal, Lipon Kumar. "Social formation in Bangladesh: an essay on the political

economy of state, class and capitalism." ​Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

(Hum.)​ 59.2 (2014): 343-365.

Pellissery, Sony, Amrutha Jose Pampackal, and Partha Bopaiah. "Caste and Distributive

Justice: Can Social Policy Address Durable Inequalities?." ​Social Policy &

Administration​ 49.6 (2015): 785-800.

Who rules america https://ia802907.us.archive.org/23/items/pdfy-_kk5SUEa8GvEgy3B/Who%20Rules%20Americ a%20Power,%20Politics%20and%20Social%20Change.pdf