The concept of sanskritization has been criticised for the following:
(A) It results in the adoption of upper caste rituals
(B) It erodes dalit culture
(C) It is different in different places
(D) It restricts women's mobility
(E) It allows equality and inclusion
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B), (D) Only
(A) It results in the adoption of upper caste rituals Correct. Sanskritisation results in the adoption of upper caste rites and rituals, and this is the root of the further criticisms below: practices that come with those rituals are taken over along with them.
(B) It erodes dalit culture Correct. The effect of the trend is that the key characteristics of dalit culture and society are eroded. The very worth of the labour that the ‘lower castes’ do is degraded and made ‘shameful’.
(C) It is different in different places Incorrect. Variation from place to place is not one of the criticisms made of the concept. The criticisms are about what it does: it exaggerates mobility, accepts upper caste ways as superior, justifies inequality, secludes women and erodes dalit culture.
(D) It restricts women’s mobility Correct. Because it takes over upper caste rites, sanskritisation leads to practices of secluding girls and women, and to dowry in place of bride-price; secluding women restricts their movement.
(E) It allows equality and inclusion Incorrect. The criticism is the opposite: sanskritisation seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion, since it treats looking down on some groups as a mark of privilege.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.3 Different Kinds of Social Change … Sanskritisation as a concept has been criticised at different levels. One, it has been criticised for exaggerating social mobility or the scope of ‘lower castes’ to move up the social ladder. For it leads to no structural change but only positional change of some individuals. In other words inequality continues to persist though some individuals may be able to improve their positions within the unequal structure. Two, it has been pointed out that the ideology of sanskritisation accepts the ways of the ‘upper caste’ as superior and that of the ‘lower caste’ as inferior. Therefore, the desire to imitate the ‘upper caste’ is seen as natural and desirable. Third, ‘sanskritisation’ seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion. It appears to suggest that to believe in pollution and purity of groups of people is justifiable or all right.… Fourth, since sanskritisation results in the adoption of upper caste rites and rituals it leads to practices of secluding girls and women, adopting dowry practices instead of bride-price and practising caste discrimination against other groups, etc. Fifth, the effect of such a trend is that the key characteristics of dalit culture and society are eroded. For example the very worth of labour which ‘lower castes’ do is degraded and rendered ‘shameful’. Identities based on the basis of work, crafts and artisanal abilities, knowledge forms of medicine, ecology, agriculture, animal husbandry, etc., are regarded useless in the industrial era.” |