A Sociological Study on Colonialism and The Transformation of Social Stratification in India

Abstract

This paper explores the transformation of social stratification and class formation in India under British colonial rule. Colonial policies, including land revenue settlements, Western education reforms, census classification, and industrialization, profoundly reshaped traditional caste hierarchies and introduced new class divisions. The Permanent Settlement and other revenue systems created landlord and tenant classes, often reinforcing caste-based inequalities in rural areas. Simultaneously, Western education fostered a colonial middle class that negotiated both caste status and economic mobility. Census operations codified caste identities into rigid administrative categories, while industrialization gave rise to an urban working class marked by complex intersections of caste and class. These colonial interventions not only restructured India's social order but also laid the groundwork for ongoing caste-class dynamics in postcolonial society. Understanding these processes provides critical insight into the enduring legacy of colonialism on India's social inequalities.