ANDRE

BETEILLE(1934)

SOCIOLOGY OF INDIAN SOCIETY

Life Sketch of Andre Beteille
• Andre Beteille was born in September 30, 1934 in the town of Chandanagore,
India.
• His father was French and mayor of the Chanadanagore Municipality. Thus, he is a
french parentage and in many ways a quintessential Bengali Bhadralok who has
Bengali mother and grandmother. They left a deep impact on him.
• He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in anthropology from the
University of Calcutta.
• Received his Doctorate from the University of Delhi
• After a brief stint at the Indian Statistical Institute as research fellow, he joined the
faculty of Sociology at the DSE.
•
 Career
• He has taught at distinguished univesities including Oxford University, Cambridge
University, the University of Chicago, and the London School of Economics.

• He is particularly well known for his studies of the caste system in South India. He is
a Professor of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi
where he is Professor Emeritus of Sociology since 2003.

• He was appointed National Research Professor by the Government of India in 2007.

• Presently, he is the Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya

and Ashoka University, in India.
Contribution and his studies
• Andre Beteille was an Indian sociologist known for his work analyzing the caste system and
rural social stratification in India.

• He conducted extensive fieldwork in a Tamil Nadu village, analyzing the caste, class, and power
structures. He viewed caste as representing status, class as economic criteria, and power as
political power.

• Beteille’s critical contribution has been contextualizing local concepts and understandings, such
as caste and class, hierarchy and equality, and in more universal and generalized theories of
inequality, stratification and justice. His works draw upon universal categories and concepts. He
always places them in the context of empirical ground realities.

• He is the best known scholars in India on liberal theory and its application in social policy.
Writings of Andre Beteille :
• Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village (1965)

• Castes: Old and New, Essays in Social •Structure and Social Stratification (1969)

• Inequality and Social Change (1972)

• Studies in Agrarian Social Structure (1974)

• Six Essays in Comparative Sociology (1974)

• In the words of historian Ramachandra Guha ,Béteille has written insightfully about all the
major questions of the day: India's encounters with the West, the contest between religion and
secularism, the relationship between caste and class, the links between poverty and inequality
the nurturing of public institutions, the role and responsibilities of the intellectual.
 IMPORTANCE
• CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA : In his seminal work, "Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification
in a Tanjore Village," Béteille delves deep into the intricate interplay between caste, class, and power
structures in a rural setting.

• SOCIAL INEQUALITY . Through his works such as "Inequality Among Men" and "The Idea of Natural
Inequality and Other Essays," he interrogates the complex intersections of caste, class, gender, and ethnicity,
revealing how these axes of inequality shape individuals' life chances and opportunities

• MODERNIZATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE : By examining the tensions between traditioon and modernity,
rural and urban spheres, and local and global forces, he illuminates the complex dynamics underlying India's
socio-economic landscape.

• EDUCATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY EDUCATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY : He explores the role of
education as a vehicle for social mobility and empowerment, while also interrogating the barriers that hinder
equitable access to educational opportunities.
•Comparative method
•Ethnographic works
1. Social Hierarchy and Caste System
2. 2. Family and Kinship Structures
3. 3. Religion and Ritualistic Practices
THEORITICAL PERSPECTIVES
• Andre Beteille’s work often delves into issues of social stratification, mobility, and
the complexities of modernization in the Indian context. He is also known for his
critique of both colonial and post-colonial interpretations of Indian society, advocating
for a nuanced understanding that incorporates indigenous perspectives characterized
by a combination of structural-functionalism and historical analysis.
• 1. Structural-Functionalism
• 2. Social Stratification and Inequality
• 3. Agency and Structure
• 4. Culture and Social Order
• 5. Comparative Analysis
CONCEPTS AND THEMES
• Andre Beteille is known for his contributions to understanding the social dynamics
of India. He explores the intersection of sociology and anthropology, focusing on
issues like caste, social inequality, and modernization. Beteille’s work often
delves into the complexities of social change, tradition, and the role of institutions in
shaping society. He emphasizes empirical research and critical analysis to
comprehend the multifaceted nature of social structures and processes.
• 1. Social Stratification and Caste
• 2. Culture and Inequality
• 3. Modernization and Social Change
• 4. Comparative Sociology
• 5. Fieldwork and Methodology
Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of
Stratification in a Tanjore Village (1965)
• In Caste, Class and Power , a slightly revised version of a Delhi University Ph.D
thesis, Andre Beteille wrote this under the supervision of MN Srinivas .The
main focus of this book is Stratification.
• First published in 1965, Caste, Class and Power is a thorough examination of
the evolving social stratification patterns in a multicaste village in South India.
• In this book Andre Beteille explores the intricate dynamics of caste, class and
power structures in Indian Society. He delves into how these social hierarchies
intersect and influence various aspects of life , including politics , economics
and culture.
• His analysis provide valuable insights into the complexities of social
stratification in India , shedding light on the enduring challenges and obstacles
faced by the rural populace.
• The study of the town serves as the backdrop for this unique account of modern
development within a traditional civilization responding to external forces. It
describes the slow but steady change of a caste-based social structure that was
based on divisions between Brahmins, middle-class non-Brahmins, and Adi-
Dravidas till the end of the nineteenth century.
• Beteille demonstrates how caste still played a role in some aspects of rural life,
but that other aspects were caste-free due to modernization influences. The
caste system has given way to more distinct organizations like political parties
and panchayats as the center of power.
• He suggested that when you study about caste it is not only the upper and
lower caste that we should study ,we have to broaden our horixon and study
about Land -owning and landless class , upper and lower caste ,jajman and
kameen .
• The categories of Caste,Class ,and Power refer to the different forms of Social
Stratification.
• Castes
• Castes as status groups are defined essentially in terms of styles of life-assigned
specific social roles,ritual values ,and economic positions.
• According to Andre Beteille ,Stratification based on caste assumed greater
importance than those of class or power.
• Class
• In the context of the agrarian social structure of Sripuram ,classes are
hierarchically arranged social categories based broadly upon ownership or non
ownership of the means of production .
• They are sub-divided in terms of
• 1.the types of ownership and control
• 2.the types of services contributed to the process of production.
• Power
• The distribution of power produces a hierarchy that is distinct from the
hierarchies of caste and class.
• Power has a more fluid character than caste or class, as there are continuous
shifts in the power structure. For this reason, it is not easy to define power
adequately in terms of formal criteria.

Power can be based on:

1. Ownership and control of land
2. 2. the support of numerically preponderant groups
Caste, Class, and Power: An Analysis

• Class, unlike caste, is 'open' in principle and practice: One may change one's position from
tenant to land owner, from agricultural labourer to owner-cultivator.

• In the past, till the end of the 19th century, the landowners (as well as agricultural
labourers) formed a more or less closed category as the only way of acquiring land was by
inheritance.

• However, in the mid-20th century, the movement between different agricultural classes in
Sripuram accelerated due to considerable buying and selling of land.
PART ONE: THE NATURE AND FORMS
OF INEQUALITY
• Andre Beteille proposed his idea of a "proper sociological approach" in which
weshould "shift our attention from inequalities inherent in the nature of human
beings to those inherent in their conditions of existence"

• INEQUALITY AS A SOCIAL FACT:"They exist independently of what individuals

think or feel about them and inthe sense that they cannot be changedaccording
to the wil and pleasure of individuals"
PART TWO: INEQUALITY IN RURAL
INDIA
• Beteille examined some aspects of inequality in Indian society and certain changes that
are taking place in them. He specifically studied the inequalities in the agrarian
structure since...Agriculture is a mode of livelihood and away of life for the majority of
people andthe changes that take place in it are goingto be of profound significance for
many years to come
• "TWO FACTORS OF INEQUALITIES IN AGRARIAN STRUCTURE
• 1) Ecological Factors
• 2) Historical Factors
SIX LAYERS OF AGRARIAN CLASS
STRUCTURE:
• 1) Non-cultivating owners
• 2) Non cultivating lessees
• 3) Cultivating owners or peasant proprietors
• 4) Cultivating tenants
• 5) Sharecroppers
• 6) Landless labourers
CASTE AND THE AGRARIAN
HIERARCHY
• In the traditional agrarian system, the caste system
contributed to the persistence of social inqualities by
providing the valuesand norms which were appropriate to
the agrarian hierarchy.
• Factors of change in the agrarian hierarchy-
• i) Market Forces
• ii) Governmental Measures
• iii) Political Action
AGRARIAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Agrarian Social Structure Studies In Agrarian Social Structure was originally published in journals and books between1969 and 1972 by André Bé teille, professor of sociology at the
University of Delhi.

• Contents of the book:

• 1. The Study of Agrarian Systems
• 2. Ideas and Interests
• 3. The Social Framework of Agriculture.
• 4. Class Structure in an Agrarian Society : the Case of the Jotedars
• 5. Agrarian Relations in Tangore District
• 6. Peasant Association and Class Structure
• 7. The Causes of Agrarian Unrest
• 8. Harmonic and Disharmonic Systems
According to Béteille, it can be said that the land problem in India and the need to thestudyof
agrarian social structure revolves round two major issues as under:
1. Technological arrangements
2. 2. Social arrangements
Contemporary Relevance:
• Andre Beteille's work remains relevant today for his contributions to the study of
sociology, anthropology, and Indian society. His research on caste, class, and inequality
continues to inform discussions on social stratification and social mobility, particularly
in South Asia.
1. Social Stratification:
• Andre Beteille's work on social stratification gives us an understanding into how
societies organize themselves hierarchically based on factors like class, caste, and
gender. In contemporary times, these structures continue to shape various aspects of
life, including access to resources, opportunities, and power.
2. Inequality:

Beteille’s concepts provide valuable analytical tools for understanding and

addressing various societal issues related to inequality, social mobility,
identity, and development. By applying these frameworks to contemporary
contexts, policymakers and researchers can develop more varied approaches
to social change and justice.

• Economic Inequality
• Social Inequality
• Political Inequality
• Global Inequality
3. Agrarian Society:

Beteille’s studies in agrarian social structure remain relevant today because they offer
insights into the social dynamics of rural communities, including land ownership patterns,
labor relations, and social hierarchies. This understanding is crucial for informing policies
related to rural development, land reforms, agricultural policy, and poverty alleviation
efforts. Beteille’s research helps us understand how agricultural policies and interventions
impact different segments of rural society, including small-scale farmers, landless laborers,
and large landowners.

• Understanding Rural Dynamics

• Land Reforms and Redistribution
• Rural Livelihoods and Migration
• Livelihood Security
Criticisms
• Guha and Parry (1999: 26) point out: “a criticism that can be made of Andre
Beteille’s career is that he has not devoted sufficient attention to the institutional
reproduction of his brand of sociology. In part, because his personal style is not
that of the assertive academic patron, he has not built a formal, easily identifiable
‘school’, a group of disciples who would take forward his methodological focus
on the field-view and comparative analysis, and develop his theoretical insights
on such questions of absorbing interest and continuing political importance as
patterns of inequality and the fate and functioning of institutions.” However,
Guha and Parry’s volume shows that the intellectual influence of Beteille can
work in ways other than the ‘guru-chela’ parampara. While Beteille’s view offers
a valuable insight into the Indian society, it has been critiqued for its
romanticization of the village life. Argue that Indian villages are also marked by
social evils like caste discrimination, gender inequality, and poverty.