ANDRE BETEILLE by DR SAROJ.pdf

CLASS NOTES ON ANDRE BETEILLE CASTE, CLASS AND POWER

1. ANDREBETEILLE
ByDrSaroj
Indiansociologist
AndreBetieillewasborninSeptember1934inthetownof
Chandannagore,thenitwasunderFrenchrule.
HisfatherwasaFrenchwhilehismotherwasaBengali.Theylefta
deepimpressiononhim.
GraduatedfromSt.Xavier’scollege,Calcutta.
InfluencedbyN.K.Bose,EvansPritchardandMaxGluckman
DidhonoursinanthropologyfromUniversityofCalcutta
CompletedhisPhDunderM.N.Srinivas
Books:
CasteClassandPower:ChangingPatternsofStratificationinaTanjore
village(1965)
Castes:OldandNew,EssaysinSocialstructureandSocialstratification
(1969)
InequalityandSocialChange(1972
StudiesinAgrarianSocialStructure(1974)
CasteClassandPower:
AndreBeteilledidintensivefieldworkinavillageofThanjavur
districtofTamilnadu.Hestayedinthatvillagearoundtenmonths
andafterdetailedobservationhegavehisexplanation.
Therealnameofvillageisnotknownbutinthebookheusethename
Sripuram

2. Heanalysedthecastesystemfromaverydifferentperspective.
Previousstudiesoncaste:
G.S.Ghuryeusedindologicalperspectivefortheanalysisofcaste
LouisDumontgavetheconceptofHomohierarchusinwhichheexplained
thatfeaturesofcastesystemisconstant,castesystemdoesnotchange
overthetime.
AndreBeteillecriticizedtheperspectiveofGhuryeandDumonton
casteandheconductedafieldstudyandanalysedthroughWeberian
perspective.
ForthestudyofcasteheusedCaste,ClassandPoweronthebasisof
trinitarianmodelofWeberCaste,StatusandParty.
InhisbookCaste,ClassandPowerBeteillefollowedtheestablished
conventionoftheanthropologicalresearch.Beteilletriedto
understandtheprocessofsocialchangemainlyinthethreesystemsof
Caste,ClassandPower.
Heanalysedthathowcasteisdifferentfromclassandwhatarethe
similarfeaturesbetweencasteandclasssystem.Caste,Classand
Powerarethesystemofstratification.
Stratification:groupingofpeopleandthenlayeringofthosegroups
AndreBeteille:-changeisthefundamentalfeatureofthesocial
structureofSripuramVillage.
Heanalysethetheredimensionalstratificationsystemandtheforces
thatbroughtchangesinstratificationsystemofruralIndia.
Stratificationisevolvingandchanging.

3. HesaidthatCaste,ClassandPowerarecloselyinterwovenand
cannotbeseparatedcompletely.
Casteandclassrelatedinsomeaspectandinsomeaspecttheydiffer
fromeachother.
Caste:dividetheentirevillagethreemainsegments(reflectsthe
segmentarynatureofcastegivenbyGhurye)
1 Brahmin(Uppercaste)
2 Non-Brahmin(backwardcaste)
3 AdiDravidas(untouchables)
Beteilleobservedintercasterelations.
Peoplearemutuallyinteractingwithothercastes
Casteisacontinuousprocessandidentifiabletoowhichenjoysboth
legalandreligioussanctions.
Variouscastesareassigneddifferentrolesinsocioeconomicsphere
meansnotonlyoccupationalsegregationbutitcoverstheentire
socialreality
Traditionallypunishmentdiffer:iftheoffencedonebyuppercaste
thenthepunishmentisdifferentincomparisontothepunishment
giventolowercastesforthesameoffence.
Class:incontrasttothecastetheclassaredefactocategories.Theyarein
principlesandinsomerespectopensystemofstratification.Thatmeans
onecanmovefromlowertoupperclassbutitisnotpossibleincaste.
Onceyouareborninaparticularcasteyoucannotmovefromthatcaste
toanother.Itisascribed,whileclassisachievedcategory.

4. Classdonotenjoythosereligiousandlegalsanctionswhichare
associatedwithcastes.Socialclassdefinedintermsof
Whoistheownerofmeansofproduction.
Whoisnonownerclass
TheagrariansocialstructureofSripuram:classesarehierarchically
arrangedbaseduponownershipandnon-ownershipofmeansof
production(westernnotionofclass),thatisownershipofland.
AccordingtoBeteillethoughinequalitiesrelatedtodifferentcastes
havebeencompletelyremovedoralmostsoincourseoftimebut
culturallyandsociallythesearestillexistinginpeople’smind.That’s
whyafterindependenceIndiangovernmentimplementedS.CandS.T
acttostoptheatrocitiesandprovideprotectionforvariouslower
castegroups.
Classesaresubdividedintermsof:thetypeofownershipandcontrol
Thetypeofservicesthatwerecontributedtotheprocessofproduction
inagriculture.
Whatkindofservicesafarmerisprovidingonthebasisofhisown
class
Adistinctionismadebetweensharecroppersandagricultural
labourer.
Furthertenants,farmers,cultivators,sharecroppersandagricultural
labourerconstitutedistinctcategoriesonlyattheconceptuallevel.
Butinrealitytheyco-existandapersonwhoisafarmercanalsobea
sharecropperorsomeothertimeheworkasanagriculturallabourer.

5. Inthevillagesocietytheseclassesoverlaptoeachothersothereare
nodiscretegroupsofdifferentclasses.
Power:afterdiscussingcasteandclassAndreBeteilleanalysesthe
structureofpowerinSripuramvillage(Politicalpower).
Caste=Status
Class=Economiccriteria
Power=Politicalpower
Systemofcasteclassandsomesortofpoweralso.
Institutionalandformalpowerwhichisachievedthroughpolitical
partiesandVillagePanchayats.
Example:thepoliticalpartywhichisingovernmentwieldsmore
power.Powerofcaste,classandgroupsofvillagetranscendsbeyond
thevillagealso.Beteillelookssocialstratificationofthevillagein
contexttocaste,classandpowerofthevillage.
Thedistributionofpowerhasacquiredaverydynamiccharacter
afterindependence.
Traditionalrelationshipbetweencasteandpowerhasbeenreversed.
Thepowerwhichwaspreviouslyconcentratedinthehandsof
Brahmin,todaythevillagepanchayatiscontrolledbynon-Brahmins
andthetraditionaleliteisbeingpushedintothebackground.
Powerhasalsobecomeindependenttoagreaterextent.
Ownershipoflandisnomoreadecisivefactorinacquiringpower.’

6. Numericalsupportandstrategicpositionsinthepartymachinery
playandimportantpart.
Adultfranchiseandpanchayatirajhasintroducedanewprocessinto
thevillagesociety.
Criticism:
Beteilleconsiderscasteasrepresentingonlyoneaspectofsocial
stratificationbutinthesameveinhealsotalksaboutintercasterelations-
relatedwitheconomicandpoliticalorganization.

7. AGRARIANSTRUCTURE:ANDREBETEILLE
Agrarian’meansanythingrelatedtoland,itsmanagementor
distribution.Relatedtolanddistributionisalsotheaspectof‘equitable
divisionofland’.Itreferstothepoliticalmovementinfavourofchange
inconditionsofproprietyinland.Itiscalled‘agrarianism’.
AgrariansystemIncludeslandtenuresystem.Beteillehasdefined
agrariansocialstructure.Tohimagrariandoesnotmeanonlypeasantry.
Heobserves:
Themeaningofthephrase(agrariansystem)maynotbeimmediately
clearbutwhatisimpliedissomethingmorespecificthanthestudyof
peasantsocietiesandcultures,asthisisgenerallyunderstoodby
anthropologists.Theterm‘peasantry’hasvarietyofreferents.Butitis
mostmeaningfullyusedtodescribeamoreorlesshomogeneousand
undifferentiatedcommunityoffamiliescharacterisedbysmallholdings
operatedmainlybyfamilylabour.
Thestudyofagrariansystemhasbeentakenupasmentionedearlierby
anthropologists,sociologistsandeconomists.Onabroaderplane,the
agrariansystemasisconceivedbysocialscientistsingeneral,hasbeen
relatedto:
(i)landanditsutilisation;and
(ii)productivepurposes.Heobserves:
Thestudyofagrariansystemswillcentreroundtheproblemoflandand
itsutilisationforproductivepurposes.Inaland-basedsocialand
economicsystemthesignificanceofthiskindofstudyhardlyrequires
emphasis.

8. Beteille,torefertohimagain,itwouldbesaidthatthelandproblemin
Indiaandforthatmatterthestudyofagrariansocialstructurerevolves
roundtwomajorissuesasunder:
1. Technologicalarrangements,and
2. Socialarrangements.
Technologicalarrangementmeansthemanagementofland.Itincludes
landownership,controland”useofland.Technologicalarrangementis
discussedinrelationtovariationsinecologicalconditions.Inotherwords,
landislookedintermsofthegeographywhichsurroundstheland.The
ecologicalsettingofagricultureinIndiaishighlyvariable.Thediverse
natureofecologicalconditionsinIndiahasbeendescribedbyBeteilleas
under:
Thereareareasofheavyrainfallandareaswithhardlyanyrainfall.
Thereareirrigatedandunirrigatedareas.Irrigatedareasthemselves
differaccordingtothedependabilityofirrigation….Thedifferentregions
showdifferentpatternsofdiurnalandseasonalvariationsinhumidity,
temperatureandsunlight.Allthesefactorshaveadirectbearingonthe
kindsofcropsthatcanbecultivatedandthetechnologyemployedin
theircultivation.
Thetechnologicalarrangements,thus,includeecologicalconditionsalong
withthenewagriculturetechnology,suchaswaterpumps,thresher,
chemicalmanure,improvedseeds,etc.Anotheraspectofagrariansystem
isthatofsocialmanagement.
Itincludeslandcontrolandlandownership.ItisfoundthattheIndian
agriculturalcommunitieshaverecentlybeenhighlystratified.Itshows
thatthereiscloserelationshipbetweenthesystemofstratificationand
thedivisionofwork.

9. Forinstance,thecensusfiguresshowthatinPunjabandHaryanathe
proportionofagriculturallabourerinthetotalagriculturalpopulationis
relativelylow,whereasinWestBengal,TamilnaduandKerala,itishigh.
Inthethreestatestheprevalenceofsharecroppingisalsohigh,butthis
factisnoteasilyrecordedinthecensusesandlarge-scalesurveys.
K.L.Sharmahasdiscussedtheproblemofagrarianstratificationand
arguesthatagrarianstructuresinIndiahavealwaysbeenuneven.
Sociologistsandanthropologists,whohaverecentlystudiedagrarian
system,haveverystronglyarguedthatchangesinlandrelationshave
affectedthestratificationpatternofvillages.Thecrucialaspectof
agrarianstructureisthecontroloverland.
Itisthebasisofagrarianstratification.Whenagrariansocialstructureis
discussedinvariablywerefertolandownership,landcontrolanduseof
land.Suchanapproachtolandhelpsustofindoutagrarianhierarchy.
Whathashappenedsofaristhatthedominantcasteswho,havecontrol
overmajorportionsofland,suppressandexploitthesubordinatedclasses.
InthestatesofPunjabandBiharwherepaddyisgrown,largernumber
oflabourersishired.EvenlandlesslabourersmigratefromBiharto
Punjabfortransplantingpaddy.Theagrarianhierarchy,therefore,isthe
resultantofthecropsgrownbythepeasantry.
Beteillehasdiscussedtheruralstratificationpatternintermsofland
controlandlandmanagement.Theproductiveorganisationofland
consistsofthreemainpatterns:thefirstisbasedonfamilylabour,the
secondonhiredlabourandthethirdontenancyconceivedinabroad
sense.
Thethreepatternsofproductionhaveseveralvariants.Anditis
interestingtonotethattheproductionwhichrequireshardmanual
laboursuchasthatoftransplantingpaddythepatternmaychange.
Beteillehascategorizedthepeasantryonthebasisofproductionsystem.

10. Heobserves:
Forintalkingaboutproductionbasedonfamilylabour,wagelabourand
tenancy,wearetalkingalsoaboutlandlords,owner-cultivators,tenants,
sharecroppersandtheagriculturallabourers.Thesecategoriesandtheir
mutualrelationsconstitutetheheartofwhatmaybedescribedasthe
agrarianhierarchy…themostcrucialfeaturesofIndia’sruralsocial
systemandunlessweunderstanditsnatureandforms,our
understandingofcasteitselfwillremainincomplete.
TheruralIndia’sbasicproblemtodayistheunderstandingofagrarian
system.Controloverlanddeterminestheruralhierarchy.Whatis
interestingisthatthestatedoesnotimposeanyincome-taxonthefar
production.
Asaresultofthisstatepolicy,thosewhocontrollargerportionsofland,
benefitthemost.Theruralagrarianhierarchyhastodaybecomemore
complicatedowingtothelandpolicyadoptedbythestate.Butthestate
landpolicy,aswehaveinIndiatoday,hasnotevolvedovernight.
Itistheresultofthecoloniallandpolicywhichwehaveinheritedand
havecarveditinpost-independentIndiainsuchawaythatithastaken
acapitalisticmodeofproductioninsteadofminimisingthehiatus
betweenthebigfarmerandlandlesslabourer.Wehaveintensifiedthe
socialinequality.Wenowtracethelandpolicyadoptedbythecolonial
rulersandlater,thenationalistgovernment.