Essay on Caste System and Estates System – The Caste System of India and the Estates of Medieval Europe are not one and the same. The differences and the similarities between the two systems may be noted here:
1. A pure caste system is rooted in the religious order whereas the estates system is rooted in the legal order. Divisions within the caste system are an interpretation of the laws of religious ritual; the divisions of estates system are defined by the laws of man.
Hence it is not necessary in the estates system to know a man’s place in a ritual order. But it is significant to know the man-made law by which he lives. These laws were somewhat complicated. Still their universal characteristic was that they defined not only the rights but also the duties and obligations of the members of estates. These could be enforced either in the courts or by military strength.
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2. Unlike the caste system the estates system has no “out-castes”. Because, at least in theory, all the estates of the system enjoyed their own rights, duties and obligations. All could establish some claim on the established social order. Here in the caste system^ the outcastes suffered from all kinds of social, political, religious, legal and other disabilities.
3. Difference between these two systems could be observed with regard to the nature of social mobility. Both, of course, had institutionalised barriers for social mobility. The barriers in the caste system are based on ritual impurity whereas the barriers of the estate system are legal. Since these legal barriers are man-made they can be modified in particular circumstances.
For example, in the religious sphere, anyone belonging to any section of the community was recruited into the church. At least in theory, anyone could attain any high place in it. Promotion within the Church indicated some kind of social mobility.
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In the secular sphere, however, the king could provide a distinguished servant a noble position. In both these circumstances, changes of social position were essentially inherited.
The caste system, on the other hand, suffers from irreparable inequality created by divinity as it is believed. Hence, no caste member could rise or improve upon his position in the caste system even as an exceptional case.