ABSTRACT
This chapter turns to Indological accounts of the so-called ‘varna system’, which has allegedly played a central role in traditional Indian thinking about society. The received view uses ‘classes’ or ‘social classes’ to translate ‘varna’ and speaks of a ‘hierarchy’ of four varnas of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Examining some typical statements about ‘varna’, ‘class’, ‘social class’, ‘tribes’ and ‘ideology’ by scholars from Indology, the chapter reveals their careless usage of these terms, which exhibits ignorance of the social-scientific results and theorising of the last 200 years. A closer look at some elements of the received view of ‘the varna system’ and its claims about social classification, ideology and hierarchy throw its incoherence into sharp relief. As is the case for other issues in the study of Indian culture – whether concerning ‘Hinduism’, ‘the caste system’ or ‘the Brahmin priesthood’ – the received view appears to present ignorance as knowledge.
