Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the knowledge villagers have of each other’s genealogies and experiences, and considers the fundamental nature of a community as involving three generations and two sexes, and describes the community in theoretical context and provided tests for the identification of “viable” communities. It shows that continuity of membership and self-sufficiency become measures of the soundness of Indian village structure. The caste system in India orders relationships in a fixed division of labor and also specifies relative caste position in overall hierarchy. The book explores the implications of caste, as qualified by the jajmani system’s flexibility for reworking intra-village relationships. Assuming a village with an adequate site and safe resource base, villagers must also share some coherent and common sentiments.