De betrouwbaarheid van informatie in een kastesamenleving in Gujerat, India

Samenvatting

A study of the reliability of data obtained in a research project in Gujerat, India. The authors took part in a research project directed by W. F. Wertheim: C. Baks studied the effects of the abolition of rent; J. C. Breman, the relations between workers and peasants; E. W. Hommes, Rural planning; I. Ronner, the effects of inflation on Rural society; K. W. Van der Veen, hypergamy in the Anavils caste. They all obtained their data from a caste society. The reliability of these data was affected by 3 factors connected with caste: (1) dependence of all other castes on the dominant caste (hence a tendency to withhold information that would damage the S's relations with the dominant caste; (2) caste cohesion (tendency to give more favorable information about own caste and more unfavorable on other castes); (3) identification of the res'er with the dominant caste (timidity of S's, esp at beginning of the inquiry when contacts are obtained through the dominant caste). Means of overcoming these 3 difficulties are discussed. I. Langnas.