Bangladesh Studies
Bangladesh Studies
  • Home
  • Bangladesh
    • Foreword
    • Acknowledgements
    • Preface
  • Country Profile
    • Country
    • Geography
    • Society
    • Economy
    • Transportation and Communications
    • Government and Politics
    • National Security
  • Introduction
    • bangladesh studies>
      • Chapter 1 - Historical Setting >
        • EARLY HISTORY, 1000 B.C.-A.D. 1202
        • Islamization of Bengal, 1202-1757
        • European Colonization, 1757-1857>
          • Early Settlements
          • The British Raj
        • Pakistan Period , 1947-71>
          • Transition to Nationhood, 1947-58
          • The "Revolution" of Ayub Khan, 1958-66
          • Emerging Discontent, 1966-70
          • The War for Bangladeshi Independence, 1971
        • Birth of Bangladesh>
          • Early Independence Period, 1971-72
          • Fall of the Bangabandhu, 1972-75
          • Restoration of Military Rule, 1975-77
          • The Zia Regime and Its Aftermath, 1977-82
      • Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment>
        • Geography>
          • The Land
          • Climate
          • River Systems
        • Population>
          • Population Structure and Settlement Patterns
          • Migration
          • Population Control
        • Social System >
          • Transition to a New Social Order
          • Rural Society
          • Urban Society
          • Women's Role in Society
          • Social Classes and Stratification
        • Religion>
          • Islam
          • Hinduism
          • Buddhism
          • Christianity
        • Education>
          • The British Legacy
          • Education System
          • Religious Education
          • Education Planning and Policy
        • Health>
          • Disease and Disease Control
          • Health Care Facilities
          • Medical Education and Training
      • Chapter 3. The Economy>
        • Economic Context >
          • Historical Perspective
          • Economic Reconstruction after Independence
        • Managing the Economy>
          • Economic Policy and Planning
          • Government Budget Process>
            • Revenue Budget
            • Development Budget
        • Joint Ventures and Foreign Investment
        • Money and Banking>
          • Currency Fluctuation
          • The Banking System
        • Foreign Assistance >
          • Test Case for Development
          • Aid Dependence>
            • International Banks
            • United Nations
            • Foreign Governments and Private Donors
        • Agriculture>
          • Structure of Agricultural Production
          • Food Crops
          • Industrial Crops
        • Industry>
          • Traditional Sectors
          • Ready-made Garments
          • Other Industries
          • Mineral Development
          • Technological Advances
        • Foreign Trade >
          • Export Sectors
          • Balance and Terms of Trade
        • Transportation and Communications>
          • Inland Waterways and Ports
          • Road Transportation
          • Railroads
          • Civil Aviation
          • Telecommunications
          • Tourism
        • Problems and Prospects
      • Chapter 4 - Government and Politics>
        • Structure of Government>
          • Constitution
          • Legislature
          • Executive>
            • Presidency
            • Council of Ministers
          • Judiciary
          • Civil Service
          • Local Administration
        • The Ershad Period>
          • Achieving Stability, 1982-83
          • Emerging Opposition, 1983-86
          • Relaxation of Martial Law, 1986-87
          • More Opposition Pressure
        • Political Dynamics >
          • Local Elites
          • The National Party
          • Party Politics>
            • Awami League
            • Bangladesh National Party
            • Islamic Parties
            • Alliances
            • Workers and Students
            • Women in Politics
        • The Media
        • Foreign Policy >
          • South and Southeast Asia>
            • India
            • Pakistan
            • Other Nations
          • China and Other Asian Nations
          • The Islamic World
          • The Superpowers>
            • United States
            • Soviet Union
          • Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
          • International Organizations
      • Chapter 5 - National Security>
        • Armed Forces and Society>
          • Colonial Origins
          • Pakistan Era
          • The Liberation War
          • Postindependence Period
        • Organization of the Armed Forces>
          • Legal Basis
          • Recruitment
          • Mission>
            • National Defense
            • Intelligence and Security
          • Security Environment
          • Defense Spending
          • Foreign Acquisitions and Ties
        • The Three Services>
          • Army
          • Navy
          • Air Force
        • Auxiliary Forces >
          • Bangladesh Rifles
          • Ansars
          • Police
          • Village Defence Party
        • Public Order and Internal Security>
          • Violence and Crime
          • Insurgency in the Chittagong Hills
          • Criminal Justice
          • The Military in the Late 1980's
  • Bibliography
  • Glossary
  • About us
  • Contract us
Social Classes and Stratification

Society in Bangladesh in the 1980s, with the exception of the Hindu caste system, was not rigidly stratified; rather, it was open, fluid, and diffused, without a cohesive social organization and social structure (see Hinduism , this ch.). Social class distinctions were mostly functional, however, and there was considerable mobility among classes. Even the structure of the Hindu caste system in Bangladesh was relatively loose because most Hindus belonged to the lower castes.

Ostensibly, egalitarian principles of Islam were the basis of social organization. Unlike in other regions of South Asia, the Hindu caste-based social system had a very limited effect on Bangladeshi Muslim social culture. Even the low-caste jolhas (weavers) had improved their social standing since 1971. Although several hierarchically arranged groups--such as the syeds (noble born) and the sheikhs, or shaykhs (also noble born)--were noticeable in Bangladesh Muslim society, there were no impenetrable hereditary social distinctions. Rather, fairly permeable classes based on wealth and political influence existed both in the cities and in the villages.

Traditional Muslim class distinctions had little importance in Bangladesh. The proscription against marriage between individuals of high-born and low-born families, once an indicator of the social gap between the two groups, had long ago disappeared; most matrimonial alliances were based on wealth and power and not on the ties of family distinction. Also, many so-called upper class families, because of their traditional use of the Urdu language, had become alienated in independent Bangladesh.

Although Hindu society is formally stratified into caste categories, caste did not figure prominently in the Bangladeshi Hindu community. About 75 percent of the Hindus in Bangladesh belonged to the lower castes, notably namasudras (lesser cultivators), and the remainder belonged primarily to outcaste or untouchable groups. Some members of higher castes belonged to the middle or professional class, but there was no Hindu upper class. With the increasing participation of the Hindus in nontraditional professional mobility, the castes were able to interact in wider political and socioeconomic arenas, which caused some erosion of caste consciousness. Although there is no mobility between Hindu castes, caste distinctions did not play as important a role in Bangladesh as in they did in the Hindu-dominated Indian state of West Bengal. Bangladeshi Hindus seemed to have become part of the mainstream culture without surrendering their religious and cultural distinctions.

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