CBSE Class 12 History – Kinship, Caste, and Class

Chapter Overview

This chapter explores patterns of kinship, marriage rules, caste hierarchy, class divisions, and gender norms in early Indian society between 600 BCE–600 CE. It examines how historians use textual traditions—like the Mahabharata and Dharmashastras—to reconstruct these social structures. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Important Keywords

• Kinship: Family and extended-relative networks defined by blood and lineage. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
• Patriliny: Lineage traced through the male line; sons inherit property and status. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
• Endogamy: Marrying within one's group (e.g., caste). :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Exogamy: Marrying outside one’s own kin group or gotra. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
• Gotra: Lineage group named after a Vedic seer; same-gotra marriages prohibited. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Varna: Four-fold caste categories in Dharmashastras—Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• Jāti: Thousands of hereditary sub-castes tied to occupation and region. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Class: Social hierarchy based on wealth, land ownership, and power.