'Echte' en 'onechte' Brahmanen: de effecten van het Britse kastebewustzijn

Samenvatting

Sociologists often take for granted the notion that caste is the eternal essence of Hindu society, & place Brahmans at the apex of the hierarchy on the basis of an ideology of purity. It is shown that in the case of the Brahman pilgrimage priests in Ayodhya, a sacred center in Uttar Pradesh, India, this notion of a caste position with clear & unchanging boundaries is a historical construction that became authoritative in the British period. The religious functions of these priests are explored, with focus on how they compete for the exclusive right to act as pilgrimage priests. A major resource in this competition is shown to be the reconstruction of the past. 28 References. Modified HA