Castes In India

by B. R. (Bhimrao Ramji) Ambedkar

"Castes In India" by B. R. Ambedkar is a paper presented in 1916 and published in 1917. Originally delivered at an anthropological seminar in New York, this work examines the origins and workings of India's caste system. Ambedkar challenges existing scholarly explanations, arguing that endogamy—strict marriage within groups—forms the essence of caste. He traces how this system emerged through Brahmin practices and explores controversial customs like sati and child marriage as mechanisms preserving social boundaries in Indian society.