Some Dimensions of Sanskritization: Belief, Practice and Egalitarianism among Hindus of the Gangetic Plain
The dimensions of Sanskritization--the taking on of life styles of ritually high castes--is explored through the factor analysis of survey data gathered in rural northern India from among some 1300 individuals representing 11 castes varying widely in ritual status. Sanskritization is found to be mul...
| Published in: | Journal for the scientific study of religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[1973]
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| In: |
Journal for the scientific study of religion
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| Further subjects: | B
Social classes
B Caste identity B Religious rituals B Ascriptions B World View B Egalitarianism B Hindus B Religiosity B Brahmins |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The dimensions of Sanskritization--the taking on of life styles of ritually high castes--is explored through the factor analysis of survey data gathered in rural northern India from among some 1300 individuals representing 11 castes varying widely in ritual status. Sanskritization is found to be multidimensional consisting of separate dimensions related to world view, involvement in religious rituals, and egalitarianism with regard to treatment of low castes and women. Treating Sanskritization as Hindu religiosity, we find that the relationships between the observed dimensions of Sanskritization and social status show striking similarities with relationships which have been observed to hold between dimensions of religiosity and social class in the West. It appears that in both India and the United States involvement in religious ritual is more common among persons of higher social status while belief in the supernatural is more common among persons of lower social status. A second major finding is that, on the basis of differences in patterns of religiosity, the castes studied fall into three groups clearly ranked in terms of ritual status, thereby suggesting need for renewed attention to the concept of varna in studies of caste in modern-day India. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-5906 |
| Reference: | Kritik in "Comment on Hertel's "Dimensions of Sanskritization" (1974)"
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1384952 |