Definitions [3]
H. H. Risley: “Caste is collection of families or group of families bearing a common name, claiming a common descent from a mythical ancestor, human or divine; professing to follow the same hereditary calling and regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming a single homogeneous community.”
George Lundberg: “A caste is merely a rigid social class into which members are born and from which they can withdraw or escape only with extreme difficulty.”
S. V. Ketkar: “A caste is a group having two characteristics- i) membership is confined to those who are born of members and include all persons so born, ii) the membership is forbidden by an inexorable social law to men outside the group.”
Ralph Linton's definition:
A tribe is a group of bands occupying a contiguous territory or territories and having a feeling of unity deriving from numerous similarities in culture, frequent contacts, and a certain community of interests.
Article 366 (25) of the Constitution of India refers to ‘Scheduled Tribes’ as those communities that are protected under a schedule, as specified in Article 342 of the Constitution.
As per this, Scheduled Tribes are groups or communities that have been declared by the President of India as possessing the following characteristics:
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Primitive traits
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Geographic isolation
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Distinct culture
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Shy of contact with the larger community
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Economic backwardness
Concepts [8]
- Introduction to Social Institutions - Continuity and Change
- Caste and the Caste System
- The Tribal Community in India
- Family and Kinship
- Introduction to the Market as a Social Institution
- Sociological Perspectives on Markets and the Economy
- Understanding Capitalism as a Social System
- Globalisation – Interlinking of Local, Regional, National and International Markets
