ABSTRACT

Modifications are necessary, however, when looking at inequality in India from the comparative perspective. The contrast to Pakistan is outstanding: political instability and ethnic conflicts have been the leitmotif of Pakistan's history. The relations between the castes in India have never been of the sort which characterized brutal exploitation through slavery. In some regards, the caste system could be compared to the Apartheid system which also involved economic cooperation, but with a separation in socio-cultural terms and political discrimination. One of the elements shared by Hinduism and Buddhism was religious tolerance; this was practised already by the Brahmins when they disseminated Hinduism in India in prehistoric times. The exchange certainly was strongly asymmetrical; the Brahmins at the top of the hierarchy enjoyed privileges unknown to any other priesthood on the world. India is an outstanding example, proving that peaceful social integration and a moderate level of inequality is possible also in a society highly differentiated in ethnic terms.