ABSTRACT
In examining that level of the superstructure which sits closest to the economic base (see again Figure 1, p. 31), it is useful to begin by distinguishing those roles and statuses which are ascribed to individuals by society, from those which the individual achieves on his or her own account. Ascribed roles and statuses are often related to the biological attributes of age, gender and race. However, they also include the relatively immutable social attributes of ethnic, caste or class origin and kinship. In India, even though caste was officially abolished in the 1950s, one is still born a Brahman or a harijan (outcaste). In many parts of Europe, one can still be born into aristocratic status, though it means less than it used to. All over the world, children are born members of particular families, ethnic and religious categories (which they may or may not repudiate later in life). These identities are difficult to escape, not least because they are fundamental to being brought up as a particular kind of person. However, the specific occupational connotations of ascribed status may now be historical. Even in rural India, the traditional link between sub-caste or jati and a particular job, is breaking down as both individuals and whole subcastes manipulate discrepancies between their existing wealth and education and their traditional ranking in the caste system. It is necessary first to examine the structural relationships which arise from ascribed roles, in order to understand how and how far individuals may distance themselves from such predetermined social relationships.
