Caste (Concepts in the Social Sciences)

Drawing on her background in anthropology, Sharma (sociology, U. of Derby) examines the concept of caste, noting its origin in orientalist descriptions of Indian society, and tracing how it made its way into social scientific discourse as a tool for the comparative analysis of social stratification. She takes exception with the notion that caste is specific to Hindu India, and argues that it can be used to clarify social inequality and cultural differences in modern societies. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.