ABSTRACT
Caste is a complex social phenomenon characterised by its historical fluidity, adaptability and resilience regardless of changing social, economic and political conditions. As a system of social organisation and stratification, and as a form of inherited social identity, its origins and the mechanisms of its survival are contested, but its history extends back into the ancient past. It is generally accepted that caste is inherited (acquired by birth) and is maintained by endogamy, whereby marriage is restricted to individuals of the same caste. 1
