A Guide to the Study of Social and Economic Groups and ... - icrisat

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Upper Volta and Niger are included (see Matlon 1980a, 1980b; McIntire
1981a, 1981b for more information). The potential which these studies
hold for comparison of culturally different agricultural societies in
similar environments is very great. Aspects of stratification are likely
to be particularly important Cn such analysis.
SOURCES OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FOR THE SAMPLE VILLAGE AREAS
The ten villages of the Village Level Studies (VLS) in India are drawn
•from five districts located among four states. These villages contain
households representing many castes, with a variety of local and regional
'hittories and with different occupational specializations. Brief summaries
of information about each caste are contained in ifhles 3A-H, J-K
_
in the! Appendix. The castes in these tables have been listed in seven
adjusted rank groups (ADJRANK) in each village, to allow for comparison
of social and economic' standing across villages and areas. In these
tables it has been possible to include only a small amount of background
•
material on each group, and no information is given on the history or
on the geographical and political contexts of the sample villages. Summaries
of agroclimatic and cropping pattern information are contained in
. Jodha et al. (1977), blit the additional sources discussed in the followparagraphs
should be consulted.
•
Useful summaries and bibliographical introductions to earlier and
recent literature on a variety of topics are in Schwartzberg (1978).
' This work includes such items as political histories of the subregions
represented by VLS districts, and maps showing the distribution of key