BharatNotes Sanskritization
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
M.N. Srinivas's concept of Sanskritization challenged the idea that caste was static, demonstrating that lower castes had historically practised a form of social mobility by emulating Brahminical practices — yet critics note this mobility was imitative rather than emancipatory.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
Sanskritize (verb), Sanskritized (adjective), Sanskritizer (noun, rare)
Root
Sanskrit (language name, from saṃskṛta = refined, perfected, from sam- = together/well + kṛta = made/done) + -ization = process of becoming; literally 'the process of becoming refined/Sanskrit-like'
Etymology
The term is a neologism coined by sociologist M.N. Srinivas in mid-20th-century Indian sociology. 'Sanskrit' itself derives from saṃskṛta (refined, perfected, cultivated), from the Sanskrit prefix sam- (together, well) and the past participle of kṛ (to do, make). Srinivas introduced the concept to describe upward social mobility through cultural imitation within the caste system, distinguishing it from Westernization, which he analysed as a separate modernising vector.
Memory Hook
SANSKRIT is the 'refined' classical language of Hindu texts and rituals. SANSKRITIZATION = trying to become more SANSKRIT-like — lower castes adopt the dress, diet, rituals, and customs of upper castes to climb the social ladder. The irony: you become more 'refined' but the ladder itself stays in place.
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