Introduction
Coined by sociologist M.N. Srinivas in his study of the Coorgs of South India, Sanskritisation denotes the process through which a low or middle Hindu caste, tribal group, or other community alters its customs, rituals, ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high, frequently 'twice-born' (dwija) or dominant caste. It functions primarily as an endogenous cultural avenue through which subordinate strata historically sought upward mobility within the sacred hierarchy.
Impact of Sanskritisation on Caste Mobility
- Positional Rather Than Structural Change: As Srinivas explicitly argued, Sanskritisation facilitates positional mobility for specific caste groups within the traditional hierarchy, but it does not lead to structural change of the caste system itself. The fundamental framework of graded inequality remains undisturbed.
- Interplay with Westernisation: Upward mobility encounters a moving social barrier. While lower castes adopt Sanskritised customs (such as vegetarianism, teetotalism, and wearing the sacred thread) to elevate their status, upper castes increasingly pursue Westernisation and secular educational attainment, thereby maintaining social and cultural distance.
- De-Sanskritisation: The contemporary political economy and the presence of affirmative action have reversed this trajectory. Historically influential agrarian groups (such as Patidars in Gujarat and Marathas in Maharashtra) now actively disavow Sanskritised claims to lobby for backward-class categorization to secure state-mandated reservations.
Critical Theoretical Perspectives
- Harold Gould (Cultural Compensatory Mechanism): Gould argues that Sanskritisation serves primarily as a psychological and cultural compensatory mechanism through which deprived groups attempt to mitigate material marginalisation without altering real economic and political power asymmetries.
- Yogendra Singh (Neglect of Structural Factors): Singh contends that the concept overstates the role of ritual emulation while failing to account for macro-structural determinants of social transformation, such as constitutional democratization, agrarian reform, and industrialization.
- Kancha Ilaiah (Subaltern Critique and Dalitisation): From a subaltern standpoint, Ilaiah critiques Sanskritisation for legitimizing Brahminical hegemony and marginalizing indigenous productive traditions. He counters it with the concept of 'Dalitisation', urging the assertion of egalitarian, labour-centric subaltern values.
Conclusion
While Sanskritisation remains a foundational concept for comprehending ritual mobility in traditional India, contemporary caste dynamics are predominantly driven by democratic assertion, constitutional entitlements, and collective bargaining for economic resources rather than cultural emulation.