THE CASTE QUESTION IN THE VIEWS OF HINDU ELITES OF NORTHERN INDIA AT THE END OF 19TH – THE BEGINNING OF 20TH CENTURY
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Abstract
The traditional structure of Indian society continues to be up-to date and discussive topic among sociologists, anthropologists, historians and politologists mostly due to aliveness of caste system in the country today. The history of reflections about caste system going back to the colonial era when westernized middle class Indians tried to understand the place of Indian traditional social order in new modern one which takes the inspiration from Western egalitarian and humanistic ideas. The article is dealing with the history of ideas about caste system starting from Brahmo samaj opinion on it and ending with views of prominent politicians of Northern India Motilal Nehru, Bishan Narayan Dar, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Madan Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajpat Rai including Arya samaj position. The radical opinion about castes of Brahmo samaj was not accepted by Arya samaj followers. While Brahmosamajists demands elimination of castes in principle, Aryasamajists do not deny varna-jati system but change the interpretation of it. Social actions of Bengali and Punjabi organizations were not the same: the effords of social reform in Arya samaj were limited by helping dalits and converting them to vedic religion, while Brahmosamajists besides social work with untachables fought for equality among dvija castes. Using the methodological tool of putting the position of some politicians or organizations on the “modernists – traditionalists” scale, article describes the whole variety of opinions about jati system among the politicians of the Punjab and North-Western provinces on the second half of 19th – the beginning of 20th century. It is concluded that two positions were dominant among the region’s elites – “critical-modernists” (B. N. Dar and L. L. Rai) and “modernists” (M. Nehru and T. B. Sapru). The solidarity among all politicians is seen on the question that caste system as it was at that moment is incompatible with the modern way of India’s development.
How to Cite
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Arya samaj, Brahmo samaj, caste question, caste system, modernity, Northern India, westernization
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