New Agro-technological Practices and Caste Hierarchy: Some Anthropological Thoughts on Western Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The caste hierarchy in an Indian village is a ubiquitous fact, having explicable metaphors for each of them. Villagers regard the castes as higher or lower than one another in precedence and esteem, thereby forming a hierarchy of castes. Overall, the entire caste group in the village can be termed as high, medium and low. However, this is an en-bloc category assigning themselves with different castes and sub-caste groups, which occur with the hierarchy provision among themselves. However, while looking at the individual caste or jati hierarchy in the particular village, one comes across different metaphors. With the coming of the new agro-technology, observable changes have happened in the caste and class of rural culture with the addition of socio-economic status of particular jati group. With the above background and taking some secondary sources with ethnographic field work, the present paper highlights some changes in understanding, manifestation and overview of caste and class concept with the advent of new agro-technology in rural India. Authors found that there is an ongoing process of jati hierarchy and distinct expressive behaviour among the lower caste group in the village.