Ethnicity in Nepal
Ethnicity is seen as a set of socio-cultural features that differentiate ethnic groups from others. Max Weber defined as a sense of common decedent extending beyond kinship, religion, values, morality and etiquette. Fedrik Barth included four things to define the ethnicity (1) Biologically self-perpetuating population (2) sharing of cultural values and forms (3) field of communication and interaction (4) grouping that identifies itself and is identified by others a constituting a category different from other categories of the same type.
Ethnicity particularly deals about the origin and background of the particular ethnic group that also include their language, food habits, origin, dress and so on. An individual identity or position formed on the basis of birth. They make their distinct position through the ethnicity is a kind of social stratification that differentiate people one from another and also shows the majority and minority. Within the ethnicity, we would also observe a form of social prejudice, discrimination, segregation, suppression, oppression of the majority group upon the minorities. These activities create the inequality in the different sphere of their life, including social, political and economic sector. The majority and minority would be formed on the basis of power and size. The stratification relation look at one or more ethnic group control the resources and other are deprived from its accessibility within the ethnic group we would see the relation of advantage and disadvantage, conquest, and defeat, access and prohibition. Ethnic differentiation depends on territory, ecology and culture. The ethnic stratification leads both differentiation and incorporation. The ethnic minority groups are also unequalize over the time of the history in Nepal in the name of unification, modernization and so on. In such process 'central state' use crusade against them, they forcibly assimilating, their language distorts and other cultural practices taken as barrier of development. All of these things initiate under the nation-state project. Therefore, there has been significant resistance and movement carried out against the central state. The constitution of 1990 recognized the fundamental rights and identity of the different ethnic groups. It describes the "country as multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and democratic and states. This notion respects the all caste, ethnic and religious groups and their ideology. This constitution should be brought fundamental change as well and promote the dignity of the entire citizen across the country.
Caste System in Nepal
Caste system divided and connected together by three characteristics: separation in matters of marriage, contact, and division of labor. Hierarchy keeps the group in superior and inferior position. It is a structural analysis that concern with inter-caste relationship. The Indian caste system is not based on the Individualistic; however, it completely based on totality. His book Homo Hierarchicu: The Caste System and its Implication by Louis Dumont deals with Bhraman and Kastriya relationship those who were interdependent one to another. One (Bhramin) engaged in the priesthood and royalty likewise, Kastriya ruled the states and never scarifies. The ideology of purity and pollution and varna system define the Indian caste structure. The structural formation of caste based on division of labor (jajmani system), marriage system, contact and prohibition. Dumont shows the problem of existence of caste outside India and argued that in the absence of a complete status/ power differentiation, there is no true caste system outside India and outside Hinduism. He has contrasted his argument with outside the India or the modern western world, his interpretation on caste is opposite to the ideology of equality and individualism. For him, caste is an extreme form of social stratification that has been tightly embedded with ideas, beliefs and value system.
The caste system mainly depends on "Hindu hierarchal" position- that gained through the ascribed status. In caste system we observed that there is fixed arrangement of the people-one group is highly privileged and another group is least privileged. These privileges determine through birth. It has been categorized into four categories: Brahmin (priest and nobles), Kshatriya (ruler and worrier), Vaishya (traders, agriculturalists, cattle rears and businessman) and Shudra (artisans and entertainers). In caste stratification there would be ritual avoidance, restriction within the people. It determines through their occupations, marriage practice and inter and intra-group contact. Caste system is mainly predominant Hindu religious systems. It has been associated with matter of caste, religion, ritual and power. In the caste system, there have been fixed traditional occupations, prohibition, or social restriction.
Upper caste: Brahmin, Rajputs, Baniyas, Kayastha
Intermediate Caste: Ahir, Sunar and Kurmi
Lower Caste: Dhobi and Nai
All the activities of the people run in accordance with gotra, lineage and clan. The position of an individual determined through their role, which is based on caste. In fact, caste system shows the independent relationship within the different group of people and there have been religious, psychological and physical discrimination among the people despite the legal ban.
Salient features of caste system
- Caste system is typically based on Hindu tradition.
- Caste system plays a fundamental role in division of labour.
- Caste system is the closed system.
- Caste system is based on ascribed status, not achieved status*.
- Every caste has its own tradition, rituals, ethnicity and so on.
* The ancient Hindu legends interprets caste as the achieved status, that is, one can transform his or her caste through KARMA. For example: Lord Parshuram who was actually born to a Bhramin family turned into Kshettriya and Rajarshi Vishwamitra who was born to a Royal Family turned into a Bharmarishi or Bhramin.
Class
Class is normally associated economic determinism—which is associated with means of production. Social class membership determined through their relationship to the means of production. Class is a hierarchal division within the capitalistic system based in income, wealth and occupations of the people. Capitalist who produce the goods or who owned the means of production have ownership over the industries and business whereas labour or working class just work for them have nothing except their wages. The working class ever works for the capitalist—who accumulate the capital through the process of exploitations. The process of exploitation creates the inequality and gradation to one another. There is differentiation in terms of income, ownership, wages and working hours. There are various forms of oppression and exploitation that alienate the people—which generate the inequalities between the capitalists and workers. Class is an achieved position; there might be mobility of an individual on the basis of their effort, knowledge and skills; however, we could observe the economic differentiation within groups in terms of access and ownership. Class system is impersonal than the stratification.
The ideas on class struggle proposed by Marx are too simple. It is central theme of analysis which is based on the following premises.
- The history of all hither to existing society is the history of class struggle.
Marx: interpret the data on the basis of contrast between two classes like Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed” (1848). The concept of class struggle based on the history, he argued that class struggle driving force of history. The transition from one mode of production and one socio-economic formation to another (e.g. from feudalism to capitalism, from capitalism to socialism) is marked by the taking over the control of the means of production by different classes.
- The ideas of the ruling class are in every age, the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the dominant material force in society is at the same time its dominant intellectual’s forces.
His contribution based on historical analysis –gives the valuable insight regarding the future of human society. He believed that human society go through the different stages of the development where each stage contained the seeds of its destruction. In each society there is struggle between rich and poor.
There are three types of class
The working class
The working class are those—who have minimum education and engage in “manual labor”. They have little or no prestige in the society. The working class engages in unskilled works like dishwashers, land labor, maids, and waitresses. People of this class are usually underpaid and they do not have opportunity to build their advance carrier. In the working class, only few people are engaged in the skilled works such as carpenters, electricians, painters and they make more money than the middle class people.
The middle class
The middle class are the “sandwich” class. They are in the middle position between upper and lower class. They have better social position in compare to the lower class. The middle class people have better education they are managers, teachers, government officials, small business owners, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and secretaries.
The upper class
Upper class people are far better income than the people of lower and middle class. They have lucrative income through the investment and business venture. They belong to elite and aristocratic families. Their source income is depends on inheritance properties and investment in the industries. These people have good prestige than the people of lower and middle class.
Gender
'Sex' and 'Gender' are two different terms. Biological differences are called sex whereas socially and culturally constructed behavior is called gender. For example women deliver the child is concern with sex. Women look after the children in their home—which is their fate. This is concern with gender. The notion of gender based on socio-cultural values that determine the roles and responsibilities of women throughout the world. In Gender male and female are equally treated—and there should not be difference between them. Sex is roles prescribe the different ways men and women supposed to act and different tasks they are expected to undertake. The sexual difference between male and female as follows.
| Male | Female |
| Active | Passive |
| Aggressive | Tolerate |
| Rational | Emotional |
| Strong | Weak |
| Independent | Dependent |
| Hard | Soft |
| High Sexuality | Low sexuality |
| Mechanical | Arts |
| Complication | Co-cooperative |
| Dominant | Subordinate |
| Factual | Institutive |
| Messy | Neat and clean |
| Judgment | Supportive |
In fact we concluded that sex refers to biological differences, chromosomes, hormonal profile, internal and external sex organs, their physique and sound. It is based on the anatomical structure. Sex is connected with biological definition. The term gender shows the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or famine—which is largely based on imposed or adopted behavioral practices. Gender is not something we are born with, and not something we have, but something we do (West and Zimmerman 1987)–something we perform (Butler 1990). Social and psychological conditions, for example daughter-in-law must be bowed their head on the feet of their mother-in-law and father-in-law. Socio-culture value system defines the male and females roles and responsibilities. It also determines the behavior of men and women that they practice over the generation. Gender presents in conversations, dialogues, treatments and behaviors among the male and female. The notion of gender looks at the authority, ownership and decision-making power of men and women in the society. Gender studies analyze the position of male and female both within households and beyond household boundaries or private and public spheres. Gender is embedded with our social institutions, actions, activities, beliefs, customs and faiths. The notion of gender development belief on male and female should be equally treat and provide the equal opportunities in the different spheres of their life.
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