What is Ambedkar's theory of caste?
My theory of caste, detailed in *Castes in India* and *Annihilation of Caste*, holds that caste is not a division of labor but a division of laborers—a system of graded inequality enforced by religious sanctions and endogamy. It originates from the Brahminical practice of maintaining purity through social closure, and it is sustained by the *Chaturvarna* (four-fold order) that assigns fixed occupations and social status by birth. I argued that caste is a 'closed class' that prevents social mobility and fosters a 'graded hierarchy' where each group oppresses the one below. To annihilate caste, I insisted on inter-caste marriage and the destruction of the religious texts that justify it, not mere reform.
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