Caste

The caste system is a system in India that was once mainly used by Hindus. This system has been generally accepted for about 3000 years. There are four castes in this system and one outcast group is regarded as "untouchables". There are also castes in countries other than India as the system spread to South Asia about 2000 years ago. For centuries, this system has dictated one's marriages, geographical location, and occupation. People must not marry someone from another caste, and they must not do things that another caste does. The Indian government today works to decrease this discrimination with the quotas set in government jobs in 1950.

• Brahmin - priests and scholars
• Kshatriya - warriors and kings
• Vaishya - merchants and landowners
• Shudra - peasants and labourers
• Untouchables or Dalits - came much later after the other four groups and consisted of people who did jobs considered ritually polluting. This included sweeping ashes after cremations, ridding of animal waste, or skinning animals such as cows.

A census in 2023 of the 130 million people in Bihar collected information about castes for the first time since 1931. 15.5% were upper caste. 27.1% were other backward class. 36% were extremely backward class and 21.4% were scheduled castes or scheduled tribes. Brahmins, the highest caste, were less than 4% of the population.

Caste Media

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  The Basor weaving bamboo baskets in a 1916 book. The Basor are a Scheduled Caste found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

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  A social hierarchy chart based on old academic theories. Such hierarchical diagrams were removed from Japanese textbooks after various studies in the 1990s revealed that peasants, craftsmen, and merchants were in fact equal and merely social categories.

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  A typical Yangban family scene from 1904. The Yoon family had an enduring presence in Korean politics from the 1800s until the 1970s.

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  A Griot, who have been described as an endogamous caste of West Africa who specialise in oral story telling and culture preservation. They have been also referred to as the bard caste.

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  The Madhiban (Midgan) specialise in leather occupation. Along with the Tumal and Yibir, they are collectively known as sab.

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  Casta painting showing 16 racial groupings. Anonymous, 18th century