Sanskritisation

For the process by which a language becomes influenced by Sanskrit, see Sanskritisation (language).

Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper castes. It is a process similar to "passing" in sociological terms. This term was made popular by Indian sociologist M. N. Srinivas in the 1950s.[1][2][3] Sanskritisation has in particular been observed among mid-ranked members of caste-based social hierarchies.[4]

In a broader sense, also called Brahmanisation,[5] it is a historical process in which local Indian religious traditions become syncretised, or aligned to and absorbed within the Brahmanical religion, resulting in the pan-Indian religion of Hinduism.[6][3][7]

  1. ^ Charsley 1998, citing Srinivas 1952
  2. ^ Srinivas et al. 1996.
  3. ^ a b Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica [b] n.d.
  4. ^ Baru, S. (2021). India's Power Elite: Class, Caste and Cultural Revolution. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 9789390914760.
  5. ^ Flood 2013, p. 148.
  6. ^ Flood 2013, p. 148: "Within the developing Hindu traditions we can see the process of Sanskritization or Brahmanization, whereby the great brahmanical tradition of vedic social values, vedic ritual forms and Sanskrit absorbs local traditions of ritual and ideology."
  7. ^ Turner 2008.