André Béteille and His Contributions toIndian Sociology

1. Introduction to André Béteille’s Sociological Vision

André Béteille is one of the most eminent sociologists of India, whose work has profoundly shaped the way Indian society is studied and understood. He is known for his empirical depth, comparative methodology, and theoretical clarity. Béteille challenged the dominance of culturalist and Indological frameworks that saw caste as a timeless institution defined solely by ritual purity. He emphasized that Indian society is best studied through the lens of social stratification, which includes multiple dimensions such as caste, class, and power. He believed that inequality in India is normatively structured, either legitimized by traditional social norms or by modern democratic institutions such as the rule of law. His entire career was an effort to transform the discipline into a truly empirical and comparative sociology of India, distancing it from essentialist and ideological approaches.

Stratication Beyond Caste Essentialism

2. Béteille’s most significant theoretical departure from earlier Indian sociologists was his rejection of caste as an all-encompassing explanatory category. He critiqued scholars such as Louis Dumont for portraying caste as a pan-Indian, closed system grounded in purity and pollution. For Béteille, such a view ignored the variability, fluidity, and change that are constantly at work in Indian social life. He proposed that caste is only one axis among many in the broader system of social stratification, which also includes economic class and political power. His approach borrows heavily from Max Weber, focusing on how status, economic resources, and political control interact to form complex social hierarchies.

3. Fieldwork in Sripuram Village: A Landmark Study

Béteille’s eldwork in Sripuram village, Tamil Nadu, became the basis for his influential book Caste, Class and Power (1965). In this ethnographic study, he identified three major social groups: Brahmins, Non-Brahmins, and Adi-Dravidans. However, instead of treating these categories as homogenous, he delved into the internal hierarchies within Brahmins, documenting the distinctions between Vedic Brahmins (Iyengars and Iyers) and Non-Vedic temple priests. He further showed that even within these subdivisions, there were ritual and occupational competitions that revealed a deeply fragmented and contested social order.

Most importantly, Béteille observed the decline of Brahminical monopoly over education and power, and the rise of non-Brahmin groups through schooling, government employment, and political mobilization. The Kala caste, a peasant group, had begun identifying itself as Mudaliyar, seeking higher social prestige. This indicated a signicant social mobility, facilitated by class advancement and education, challenging the notion of xed caste positions. Béteille thus concluded that hierarchy in Indian villages is competitive, not static, and that caste and class are increasingly intertwined in determining social status

4. Major Works and Intellectual Contributions

4.1 Caste, Class and Power (1965)

In this foundational text, Béteille introduced the multi-dimensional approach to stratication. Drawing from Weber, he argued that no single axis—caste, class, or power—could explain social hierarchy alone. His fieldwork illustrated how social distance and interaction patterns were shaped by overlapping hierarchies. For instance, commensality was not just a function of ritual caste status but also of economic and educational background. The book challenged earlier structuralist and culturalist models and opened a new path for empirical sociology in India.

4.2 Caste: Old and New (1969)

This work deepened his analysis of caste’s transformation in modern India. Béteille identied three dimensions of caste:
(i) Hierarchical gradation of people,
(ii) Vertical familial ties, and
(iii) Value hierarchies.
He argued that Indian society no longer operated under a unied value consensus (as earlier scholars like Ghurye believed), but rather exhibited value dierences and conicts. He emphasized that caste today cannot be studied in isolation from class, occupation, and education. Instead, he urged sociologists to consider India as a modernizing society within which caste exists, rather than viewing India through the lens of caste alone.

4.3 The Backward Classes and the New Social Order (1992)

In this political-sociological analysis, Béteille critiqued the manner in which reservation policies were extended to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He argued that OBCs were often unequal castes artificially grouped together for political mobilization, mainly to build vote banks. While acknowledging the historical injustices these groups faced, he was wary of the anti-meritocratic tendencies of such policies and their potential to entrench caste identities. For him, true social reform should move toward class-based poverty alleviation, not caste-based benefits.

4.4 “Pollution and Poverty”

In this essay, Béteille provocatively asserted that poverty is more dangerous and contagious than ritual pollution. While pollution is a symbolic boundary, poverty affects actual life chances and mobility. He proposed that state policies must prioritize economic upliftment and not fall into the trap of caste-centric politics that may undermine national integration and democratic values.

4.5 “Social Reproduction”

Here, Béteille identified three principal axes of social reproduction:
1. Caste
2. Family and kinship
3. Occupation
He maintained that these structures perpetuate inequality but are not immutable. Through an empirical, historical, and comparative approach, he demonstrated how social positions are maintained, transformed, or challenged over generations. This article further contributed to his broader goal of moving Indian sociology away from the ideological and essentialist hold of caste explanations.

5. Béteille’s Methodology and Comparative Approach

Béteille’s methodology is rooted in empiricism, comparative analysis, and theoretical eclecticism. He advocated the “eld view” over the “book view”—emphasizing real-life observations over textual or philosophical interpretations. His theoretical framework is deeply influenced by Max Weber’s ideas on class, status, and power. Béteille insisted that social stratification must be observed through actual practices, not through abstract models. He remained critical of both Eurocentric biases, which universalize Western concepts, and socio-centric biases, which romanticize Indian traditions. For him, sociology is a scientific discipline that must balance objectivity with cultural sensitivity.

6. The Dumont–Béteille Debate on Caste and Value Consensus

One of the most signicant intellectual debates in Indian sociology is between Louis Dumont and André Béteille. Dumont, in his influential work Homo Hierarchicus, argued that Indian society was based on a consensual ideology of hierarchy, rooted in religious values. Béteille countered that such consensus never truly existed. He emphasized that caste relations have always been contested and that values often contradict rather than align. Drawing from the history of European feudalism and revolutions, Béteille argued that Indian society, too, was undergoing a shift from xed to competitive hierarchies. He critiqued Dumont for his Eurocentric lens, which failed to recognize the political agency and rationality of lower castes in modern India.

7. Conclusion: The Legacy of a Stratification-Centered Sociology

André Béteille’s work marks a paradigm shift in Indian sociology. He liberated the discipline from caste-centric and culture-bound frameworks and redefined it through the lens of stratification, mobility, and empirical realism. His lifelong project was to make sociology a scientific and democratic discipline, responsive to India’s diversity and complexity. Béteille’s legacy lies in showing that inequality is not natural or eternal, but historically produced and politically contested. By placing individual agency, institutional dynamics, and comparative method at the center of analysis, Béteille empowered a generation of sociologists to rethink India’s social order in new and transformative ways.

8. References

• Béteille, André. Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratication in a Tanjore Village. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1965.
• Béteille, André. Caste: Old and New. New Delhi: Asia Publishing House, 1969.
• Béteille, André. The Backward Classes and the New Social Order. Oxford University Press, 1992.
• Béteille, André. “Pollution and Poverty.” Economic and Political Weekly, various issues.
• Béteille, André. “Social Reproduction.” In Society and Politics in India: Essays in a Comparative Perspective. Oxford University Press, 1991.