Answer 28 07 2021 14

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DAMP SOCIOLOGY
Q) What is the difference between the concepts of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ middle class in
India? Explain their contributions in bringing social change in India. (20 Marks)
Answer:
Prior to the French Revolution, the term ‘class’ was used in a general sense as in the writings
of Adam Smith, Madison, and other scholars of the eighteenth century. Several of them
used it interchangeably with ‘group’ or ‘estate’. It was in the nineteenth century that class
as a category came to be recognised as a relevant concept in explaining social theories,
ideologies, social movements, social structure, and social change.
Old Middle Class in India

The term ‘middle class’ or the ‘old’ middle class in India is a product of Colonial rule in the
subcontinent.
B.B. Misra (1961) in his seminal work on the middle classes in India had concluded that the
British rule resulted in the emergence of a class of intermediaries serving as a link between
people and the new rulers and this class continued to grow in strength and prosperity with
the progress of the foreign rule.
The middle class also expanded due to the establishment of trading relations, new
educational policies and so on. This middle class was largely dominated by the traditional
higher castes.
• From the beginning of the 20th century, the Indian middle class had come to pose a
serious challenge to the continuance of the British power. It was instrumental in
arousing national consciousness and giving a sense of unity as a nation to the people.
Sanjay Joshi, in his study of the making of the middle class in colonial India, attempted to
explain why traditional sociological indicators of income and occupation cannot take us very
far in understanding the category of middle class. Though the economic background of the
middle class was important, the power and constitution of the middle class in India was
based not on the economic power it wielded, which was minimal, but on the ability of its
members to be cultural entrepreneurs.
New Middle Class in India

The new middle class is a product of the globalisation. The new middle class, according to
Beteille is not only defined by occupation but also by education. In India, the origins of the
middle class derive not so much from an industrial revolution or a democratic revolution as
from colonial rule. In the last 50 years, the middle class has grown steadily.
LEVELUP IAS, Shop No 6, 3rd Floor, Old Rajinder Nagar New Delhi 110060|
Ph: +91-8826486658, +918826496658, | Email: [email protected]
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Gurcharan Das stated that although the middle class is composed of many occupations,
commerce has always been at the center- as the businessman mediated between the
landed upper classes and the labouring lower classes.
The emergence of a sizeable middle class in the last decades is widely regarded with hope
by the modernisers and fear by the traditionalists as the single most important development
in the ongoing transformation of Indian society (Kakar). This new middle class is identified
by the ‘fluidization of consumption’ and consumption is viewed as a stage in a process of
communication.
Those living in a metropolitan centre such as New Delhi appear to be modern in terms of
dress and eating habits. But a more profound issue that needs to be thoroughly investigated
is whether a modern ethos is visible in the attitudes of people at a deeper level.
Contributions of the middle class in bringing social change.

• From the old middle class to the new middle class, the leadership to the social reform
movements, nationalist struggles, and post-colonial struggle was provided by this
class.
• They are educated and they are the biggest consumers therefore this class is bringing
various changes in the post-colonial society like Jan Lokpal Movement, Farmers
Protest and so on.
• This middle class is also the flagbearer of the idea of nationalism in the country.
• Other contributions: Start-Up Culture, Mall culture, New forms of music and so on.
Therefore, the new and old middle class are a vibrant group synchronised with the demands
of the market and they are providing leadership to the country.
Q) Sociological analysis of the changing nature of the working class in India. (20 Marks)
LEVELUP IAS, Shop No 6, 3rd Floor, Old Rajinder Nagar New Delhi 110060|
Ph: +91-8826486658, +918826496658, | Email: [email protected]

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Old Middle Class in India

New Middle Class in India

Contributions of the middle class in bringing social change.

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