Sanskritisation

Sociologists describe four processes of cultural change in India: sanskritisation, westernisation, modernisation and secularisation. They overlap and happen together.

Sanskritisation, a term coined by M.N. Srinivas, is the process by which a 'low' caste or a tribe takes over the customs, rituals, beliefs and lifestyle of a higher, 'twice-born' caste, such as becoming vegetarian, giving up liquor, or adopting Sanskritic rituals, in order to claim a higher status.

It usually follows an improvement in a group's economic or political position: having become richer, the group seeks the respect to match. But dominant castes often punished lower castes who tried it, seeing it as a challenge.

The process depends on who holds power locally. Where non-Sanskritic castes were dominant, people copied their ways instead: this has been called de-Sanskritisation. In Punjab, for example, the Sanskritic influence was never very strong.

Criticisms of sanskritisation:

• It brings positional, not structural, change: a few castes move up, but the hierarchy itself stays. Inequality remains.
• It accepts the idea that upper castes are superior and worth copying.
• It justifies the ideas of purity and pollution that underlie caste.
• It harms women: castes that 'rise' often replace bride-price with dowry, and start secluding women as upper castes did.
• It erodes Dalit culture: their own crafts, music and traditions are treated as 'low' and abandoned.

Today many Dalits reject sanskritisation and assert their own identity with pride.