How is the class system of ancient india compared with social class divisions in other societies in asia?
How is the class system of ancient india ( in terms of the law of manu) compared with social class divisions in other societies in asia?
Anthropology - 3 Answers
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1 :
I'm not sure how much detail you need. Is this for a university course or AP World Hist? It feels a lot like an AP World Hist essay assignment. Rather than write the essay for you I'll give you some general ideas and point you in the correct direction to find the answer yourself. :) If you are doing university research email me and I would be happy to give you many more details. To begin when you add the part about the "law of manu" it lets the reader know that you are referring to India's Vedic period. It is called the Vedic period because most of what we know about this time comes from Hindu religious texts called the Vedas. The "law of manu" is a supplementary arm of the Vedas. If you google "Manava Dharma Shastra" you will find tons of sepcific info. So, google "Vedic Society" to read about the caste system then google "Manava Dharma Shastra" if you need primary source documentation to support your thesis. When you compare Vedic social class division to other societies in Asia I would recommend using Shang or Zhou china as either would allow for many easy similarities and differences. For example, both have a rigid social class structure however the basis for these social class structures are very different. Hope this points you in the right direction. Shanmugave; Your statement "The laws of Manu do not lay down a class system of ancient India on the other hand it lays down a caste system which is peculiar to India." is very confusing and more than a little misleading. How can you say that the Laws of Manu do not lay down a class system and then go on to say in the same sentence that they lay down a caste system. A caste system IS A TYPE OF CLASS SYSTEM.....
2 :
The laws of Manu do not lay down a class system of ancient India on the other hand it lays down a caste system which is peculiar to India. The caste system evolved from tribal society by inter marriage with the other tribe by conquest or by mutual self interest. Whereas other societies in Asia are based on economic disparities only which disparity is based on human potentials. This discrepancy may be due to the fact that India is a country of immigrants from all over the would for the past several thousand years. The descendants of schedule tribes only are the original natives of India.Each group of migrants were from different races and also from various geographical locations. Each group of migrants especially the minority group claimed to be superior in status by virtue of their culture and language to the other group as well as to the original inhabitants of India ie Adivasi. Whereas the other societies in Asia majority of whom belonged to one race predominantly Mongoloid as in the Far East. Further each nation had one language that was spoken by the majority of the population such as Mandarin in china. That is why India cannot survive without real democracy with assured equality and liberty for every group.Economic growth and prosperity should percolate to each and every group with human potential.
3 :
There was never a class system in ancient India! However there was a CASTE system, that was abolished about two centuries ago! I feel that the great Indian civilization was different compared to other Asian civilizations in the sense that money meant very little to society. India was UNBELIEVABLY rich until the seventeenth century; In fact, it was the richest country in the world until the seventeenth century. That is why money meant very little to them. Most social hierarchies were centered around the level of knowledge acquired.
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