Anthropological, historical, archaeological and genetic perspectives on the origins of caste in South Asia

Abstract

A volume that addresses the population diversity, both past and present, of South Asia must obviously include a discussion of caste. The institution of caste undoubtedly plays, and may well long have played, a crucial role in the biological and social ordering of South Asian society. In addition, the analysis of caste has been central to many studies of South Asia, and in particular those undertaken from social anthropological, biological anthropological and historical perspectives. Indeed, it is entirely possible that more has been written about caste than any other single aspect of South Asian society. In spite of this fact, however, or perhaps because of it, the topic of caste remains mired in controversy. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the controversy that surrounds questions concerning the origins of the caste system in South Asia. Given the centrality of caste in many reconstructions of South Asian population history, however, it is nonetheless crucial to grapple with the problem of caste origins, particularly in a volume such as this. Inspired by the interdisciplinary character of the present volume and the conference from which it stemmed, this chapter will therefore attempt to examine the complex question of caste origins from a multiplicity of disciplinary perspectives. In particular, it will examine ideas about caste origins that have emerged within the context of the disciplines of anthropology, history, archaeology and genetics. My aim here is not to resolve the question of caste origins, a task that, at least on current evidence, is a long way from being possible, and is, in addition, very unlikely to lead to simple answers. Rather, I wish to take a comparative approach, and examine how the question of caste origins has been addressed in each of these disciplines, as