article
A philosophy of Hindu rank from rural West Bengal
Journal of Asian Studies • 36 (1) • Published In 1976 • Pages: 5-24
By: Davis, Marvin.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this article Davis expands the usual concepts of rank generally associated with discussions of caste, to the multiple worlds of the universe recognized by the Hindu Bengalis, which would include various life-forms (e.g., gods, humans, demonic beings, animals, plants and objects), as well as the groupings into which man in the society is divided. Thus all life-forms, according to Davis' interpretation, are viewed by the Bengalis as essentially alike, varying '…only in the way their own physical nature and behavioral code approximates that of Brahma, the apical being in the Bengali cosmos' (p. 6-A). This is also true of the JATI or 'birth groups' and the VARNA or castes. In the Bengali cosmos as well as in society, the rank of any specific unit is dependent on its nature and behavioral code (DHARMA), and in this way one is but the reflection and realization of the other, so that any change in one, would bring about a corresponding change in the other. This latter concept is illustrated by the author in his discussion of the ranking of entire birth groups (JATI) which are altered through the manipulative activities of humans such as are involved in patterns of marriage, foods and food exchange, and occupations.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Theoretical orientation in research and its results
- Gratification and control of hunger
- Diet
- Status, role, and prestige
- Castes
- Household
- Extended families
- Lineages
- Clans
- Cosmology
- Ideas about nature and people
- Ethnopsychology
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Bengali
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2002
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- South Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle ; 1992
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1970-71 [p.5]
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1970-71
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Midnapore district, West Bengal, India
- NotesAdditional notes
- [by] Marvin Davis
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Bengalis