What is a Caste? Social Stratification and Mobility in India and Russia

НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН, РАСПРОСТРАНЕН И (ИЛИ) НАПРАВЛЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ ШУЛЬМАН ЕКАТЕРИНОЙ МИХАЙЛОВНОЙ, ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА ШУЛЬМАН ЕКАТЕРИНЫ МИХАЙЛОВНЫ

How do the social hierarchies of the past shape today's politics? In the latest episode of Unboxing Russia, Pradnya Bivalkar and Ekaterina Schulmann explore this question through the rise of a US politician Zohran Mamdani — a possible future mayor of New York and another of the prominent American political figures with Indian roots. Pradnya Bivalkar explains the context of his parents' legacy and we use it as a starting point to compare the Indian caste system with Russia's concept of "estates" (сословия).

This allows us to explore all the questions one always wanted to ask about the caste system - and do a bit of soul-searching along the way. How do societies create belonging and power? How are social hierarchies formed and maintained in both our societies? Where do we ourselves stand in this system, if for a moment we look at ourselves as social creatures rather than unique individuals?

Time codes:

00:04:13 Framing the conversation: The rise of Zohran Mamdani.

00:08:23 A deep dive into the Indian Caste System (Varna vs. Jati) and its impact on modern life.

00:11:38 How the British codified the Indian Caste system.

00:26:11 Comparing social stratification in Russia: "Estates" and the Soviet Nomenklatura.

00:36:09 The role of professional identity and Bourdieu's concept of freedom as the ability to live according to your "habitus".

00:43:05 How caste-based identity persists (or doesn't) within the Indian diaspora.

Mentioned in the video:

The Empire podcast Episode 17. Rishi Sunak's Ancestry: Indians in East Africa
https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast...

Film: Article 15
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article...

Film: Swades
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swades

Faye D'Souza's WhatsApp Channel
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vae6...

Faye D'Souza Youtube Channel on India
   / @fayedsouza