Question:
Who defined Caste as "a collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name; claiming common descent from a mythological ancestor, human or divine; professing to follow the same hereditary calling"?
Who defined Caste as "a collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name; claiming common descent from a mythological ancestor, human or divine; professing to follow the same hereditary calling"?
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Key Caste Definitions:
- H.H. Risley: Collection of families, common mythological ancestor, hereditary calling.
- C. Bouglé: Hereditary specialization, hierarchy, mutual repulsion.
- M.N. Srinivas: Segmentary system, pollution/purity, dominant caste.
- H.H. Risley: Collection of families, common mythological ancestor, hereditary calling.
- C. Bouglé: Hereditary specialization, hierarchy, mutual repulsion.
- M.N. Srinivas: Segmentary system, pollution/purity, dominant caste.
Updated On: Sep 4, 2026
- H. H. Risley
- B. S. Guha
- M.N. Srinivas
- N.K. Bose
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Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Concept:
The Indian caste system (Jati) has been extensively studied by British colonial ethnographers and Indian anthropologists.
Several classical definitions of caste highlight attributes such as endogamy, hereditary occupation, mythological descent, and hierarchical ranking.
This question asks to identify the scholar who formulated this specific definition of caste.
Step 1: Attribution of the Definition:
Sir Herbert Hope Risley (1851--1911), a British colonial administrator and physical anthropologist who served as the Census Commissioner for India (1901), authored The Tribes and Castes of Bengal (1891) and The People of India (1908).
In his seminal work, Risley defined caste as:
"A collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name; claiming common descent from a mythological ancestor, human or divine; professing to follow the same hereditary calling; and regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming a single homogeneous community."
Step 2: Evaluating Other Anthropologists:
1. B.S. Guha: Known for the 1931 racial classification of the Indian population based on anthropometric surveys.
2. M.N. Srinivas: Formulated structural-functional concepts like Sanskritization, Dominant Caste, and Westernization.
3. N.K. Bose: Famous for studying tribal absorption into Hindu society and the structure of Indian society.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The definition was given by Sir H.H. Risley.
Thus, Option (A) is the correct answer.
The Indian caste system (Jati) has been extensively studied by British colonial ethnographers and Indian anthropologists.
Several classical definitions of caste highlight attributes such as endogamy, hereditary occupation, mythological descent, and hierarchical ranking.
This question asks to identify the scholar who formulated this specific definition of caste.
Step 1: Attribution of the Definition:
Sir Herbert Hope Risley (1851--1911), a British colonial administrator and physical anthropologist who served as the Census Commissioner for India (1901), authored The Tribes and Castes of Bengal (1891) and The People of India (1908).
In his seminal work, Risley defined caste as:
"A collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name; claiming common descent from a mythological ancestor, human or divine; professing to follow the same hereditary calling; and regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming a single homogeneous community."
Step 2: Evaluating Other Anthropologists:
1. B.S. Guha: Known for the 1931 racial classification of the Indian population based on anthropometric surveys.
2. M.N. Srinivas: Formulated structural-functional concepts like Sanskritization, Dominant Caste, and Westernization.
3. N.K. Bose: Famous for studying tribal absorption into Hindu society and the structure of Indian society.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The definition was given by Sir H.H. Risley.
Thus, Option (A) is the correct answer.
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