Demographic constraints on caste: a Fiji Indian example

Abstract

It is usually assumed that caste, and with it caste-endogamous marriage, is disappearing in overseas Indian communities. This paper reexamines some previously published data on endogamous marriage among Indians in Fiji in an effort to determine whether endogamy is truiy disappearing. Results of this study show that, as caste populations increase, so does the frequency of endogamy. These facts are discussed in terms of the structural theory of caste, particularly with regard to the relation between a structure of ideas and the material conditions of existence which determine the expression of the structure. The data also suggest that the desire for a larger subgroup population to meet ideal marriage rules may be an incentive to population growth, and therefore a matter of interest to those concerned with population dynamics and population control. [marriage, overseas Indians, demography, caste theory, structuralism]