The essentials
Class refers to groups defined by economic position. Karl Marx defined classes by their relationship to the means of production: those who own them (capitalists, landlords) and those who sell their labour (workers, labourers). Max Weber added that class is about life chances in the market, and that society is also stratified by status (social honour) and party (political power).
India's class structure has changed greatly since independence. In rural areas, the agrarian class structure includes large landowners, rich and middle peasants, small and marginal farmers, tenants and landless labourers. Land reforms and the Green Revolution strengthened a class of rich farmers, often from dominant castes, who became politically influential.
In urban India, planned development created a large salaried middle class of government employees, professionals and managers. After liberalisation, a "new middle class" in private-sector services, information technology and finance expanded, identified strongly with consumption and lifestyle. At the same time, the urban poor in the unorganised sector have remained large.
Caste and class are related but not identical. Historically, upper castes dominated the propertied and educated classes, while lower castes were concentrated among labourers. Today, some Dalits and OBCs have entered the middle class through education and reservations, and some upper-caste households are poor, yet the overall correlation persists. Pierre Bourdieu's idea that social, cultural and economic capital can be converted into one another helps explain how privileged groups maintain their advantage.
Key points
- Marx: class based on ownership of means of production.
- Weber: class, status and party.
- New middle class linked to services and consumption.
- Caste-class overlap is strong but not complete.
Common mistakes
Do not treat class and caste as the same; class is achieved and economic, caste is ascribed by birth.