Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
What is untouchability?
Advertisements
उत्तर
Untouchability is a social practice within the caste system in which members of the lowest castes are thought to be ritually impure to such a limit that they cause pollution by a mere touch or even sight. Untouchable castes are at the bottom of the hierarchical system. These low castes are excluded from most social institutions.
It is an extreme and vicious aspect of the caste system. It uses stringent social and ritual sanctions against members of castes located at the bottom of the purity pollution scale. They are considered to be outside the caste hierarchy.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
What is the relationship between caste and economic inequality today?
How are the Other Backward Castes different from the Dalits (or Scheduled Castes)?
What are the major issues of concern to Adivasis today?
The Jana or tribes are believed to be people of the ____________.
Just like caste in India, race in South Africa stratifies society into a hierarchy. This system is called ____________.
Caste system can be understood as the combination of two sets of principles:
Assertion: Ritually highest caste – the Brahmins were subordinated to the secular power of kings and rulers belonging to the Kshatriya castes.
Reason: In strict scriptural terms, Brahmins were not supposed to amass wealth.
| Strictly speaking, the ‘untouchable’ castes are outside the caste hierarchy – they are considered to be so ‘impure’ that their mere touch severely pollutes members of all other castes, bringing terrible punishment for the former and forcing the latter to perform elaborate purification rituals. In fact, notions of ‘distance pollution’ existed in many regions of India (particularly in the south) such that even the mere presence or the shadow of an ‘untouchable’ person is considered polluting. |
Despite the limited literal meaning of the word, the institution of ‘untouchability’ refers not just to the avoidance or prohibition of physical contact but to a much broader set of social sanctions. Which of the following is not such a sanction?
Assertions of tribal identity are on the rise. This can be laid at the door of the emergence of a middle class within the tribal society. With the emergence of this class, in particular, issues of culture, tradition, livelihood, even control over land and resources, as well as demands for a share in the benefits of the projects of modernity, have become an integral part of the articulation of identity among the tribes. There is, therefore, a new consciousness among tribes now, coming from its middle classes. The middle classes themselves are a consequence of modern education and modern occupations, aided in turn by the reservation policies.
States like Jharkhand and Chattisgarh have made full use of their statehood as a result of the tribal movement. Mark the statement as true or false.
Which of the following is true regarding discrimination?
Prejudices are often grounded in what?
Which caste was not supposed to a mass wealth?
What are untouchable castes considered to be?
Who appointed a commission to look into measures for the welfare of the OBCs?
Social stratification persists over generations. The ascribed aspect of social inequality is reinforced by the practice of ______. That is, marriage is usually restricted to members of the same caste, ruling out the potential for blurring caste lines through inter-marriage.
When did the first backward classes commission submit its report?
When did the OBC issue become a regional affair pursued at the state rather than the central level?
It means an opinion formed in advance of any familiarity with the subject before considering any available evidence.
Untouchability is almost always associated with
The All-India Muslim Ladies Conference (Anjuman-E-Khawatn-E-Islam) was founded in the year
Who was known as the Father of Indian Renaissance?
Elaborate on state and non-state initiatives addressing caste and tribal discrimination.
Which of the following features is not an element of the policy of Apartheid?
Read the passage given and answer the question:
| The following observations were made by G.B. Pant during a speech that moved the constitution of the Advisory Committee on fundamental rights, minorities, etc. "We have to take particular care of the Depressed Classes, the Scheduled Castes, and the Backward Classes ...we must do all we can to bring them up to the general level..the strength of the chain is measured by the weakest link of it and so until every link is fully revitalised, we will not have a healthy body politic. Recent years have seen renewed debate about the States' decisions on reservation to this section." |
- Based on the passage above, who are referred to as the weakest link of the society?
- Why should and how can this weakest link be fully revitalised?
- Define 'Secularisation of caste'
The 1989 Prevention of Atrocities Act revised and strengthened the legal provisions punishing acts of violence or humiliation against Dalits and adivasis. Legislation on this subject was passed repeatedly.
Do you think state action alone can ensure social change? Give reasons for your answer.
