Tamil Nadu's 2026 election candidate lists reveal how deeply caste-based calculations dominate politics, overriding constitutional ideals and merit in candidate selection.
Beginning in ancient India, the caste system was originally centered around varna, with Brahmins (priests) and, to a lesser extent, Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors) serving as the elite classes, followed by Vaishyas (traders and merchants) and finally Shudras (labourers).
A caste, generally designated by the term jati (“birth”), refers to a strictly regulated social community into which one is born. Some jatis have occupational names, but the connection between caste and occupational specialization is limited.
A caste system is a hierarchical social structure that organizes individuals into rigid classes, preventing social mobility based on familial lineage. A caste system entrenches strict social...
Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Isabel Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more.
The meaning of CASTE is one of the hereditary social classes in Hinduism that restrict the occupation of their members and their association with the members of other castes.
Caste systems are any ranked, hereditary, endogamous occupational groups that constitute traditional societies in certain regions of the world, particularly among Hindus in India.
Caste systems through which social status was inherited developed independently in ancient societies all over the world, including the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Few social institutions in human history have been as enduring, as complex, or as consequential as caste. In India, caste has shaped marriage, occupation, social interaction, and political life for centuries – and it continues to influence daily realities for hundreds of millions of people today.