The weight of tradition: investigating the persistence and performance of caste and gender hierarchies in Indian society

Iyer, Poorvi Kumar (2023) The weight of tradition: investigating the persistence and performance of caste and gender hierarchies in Indian society. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

This thesis examines how young Indians navigate and reproduce social hierarchies in their daily lives, with an emphasis on caste and gender. Grounded in the Social Identity Approach, I employ a mixed-methods framework across three empirical studies. In the first empirical study, I analyse secondary survey (with 6122 Indians) data to uncover the contextual factors shaping the endorsement of traditional caste and gender attitudes. Here, I particularly highlight the influence of a concern for familial obligation. In the second empirical study, I conduct 34 in-depth interviews to understand why social hierarchies are performed through maryada (subtle acts of deference along intersecting lines of caste and gender), even when hierarchy-relevant norms are not endorsed. I find that it is the type of social scrutiny within a setting, coupled with the prospect of sanctions and reputational harm that compels the performance of maryada. Building on this, I conduct an online survey experiment with 612 Indians to examine the mechanisms through which the self-reported performance of maryada varies according to social scrutiny, expectations regarding sanctions and a concern for familial obligation. Here, findings indicate that a concern for family obligation and the expectation of sanctions directed at the family, not just the individual, are essential components in understanding the performance of maryada. This thesis makes three theoretical contributions. Firstly, I emphasise that real-world hierarchies are constantly shaped and reshaped by contextual processes. Secondly, I posit that a study of the performance of hierarchies is crucial to an understanding of how it is perpetuated in everyday life. Thirdly, by highlighting the prospect of sanctions and reputational fallout, I question existing assumptions of agency. Through this thesis, I underscore the pivotal role of the inclusion of relevant contextual processes in social psychology research, highlighting its dynamic influence on the creation and perpetuation of real-world hierarchies.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2023 Poorvi Kumar Iyer
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Sets:	Departments > Methodology
Supervisor:	Cornish, Flora and Power, Eleanor
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4622

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