A caste system often uses discriminatory notions of purity and contamination. It continues to have an impact on contemporary society in many areas of the world.

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy based on one’s birth that is tied to concepts of purity and social status. Its history, evolution and current state are complicated. A move to ...

The caste system evolved over millennia, as the Indian subcontinent was led by different rulers, but was officially outlawed in 1948 — a year after India's independence from Britain.

Fact checked by Suzanne Kvilhaug Reviewed by Andy Smith The Caste System: An Overview Discrimination against individuals based on caste would seem to be a relic of the past. Even in India, where ...

Recent events are a reminder that the caste system still determines American life—but we can overcome it, writes Isabel Wilkerson. Sign Up for Our Ideas Newsletter POV. Subscribe Subscribe.

Growing up, when I’d hear about the caste system in India, it would usually be followed by a “Oh, but it doesn’t exist anymore. It’s illegal.” Call it naivety, privilege or a mix of both, that’s what ...

What is caste? India’s caste system has roots in Hindu scriptures, and historically sorted the population into a hierarchy that defined people’s occupations, where they can live and who they ...

Twice-impeached former president Donald Trump apparently thinks that the U.S. government should be a caste system, rather than a democracy — but that doesn’t mean he can explain how a caste ...

Caste System Writer Martha Ann Overland reports from New Delhi that though India is driven by a rigid caste system, she, as an American living there, ...

The film “Origin,” like the book “Caste” on which it was based, offers a powerful paradigm for understanding America’s bitter racial divide, writes author and theologian Keith Magee.

This week, years of work culminated in a historic win: On Feb. 22, Seattle became the first American city to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of caste, after a vote by the city council ...