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| But I know you won't. |
Learning Targets:
- What is the difference between class and caste?
- What philosophical, religious, or cultural ideas served to legitimate the class and gender inequalities of classical civilizations?
- “Social inequality was both accepted and resisted in classical civilizations.” What evidence might support this statement?
KEY TERMS:
Ban Zhao: A
Chinese woman writer and court official (45–116 c.e.)
whose work provides valuable insight on the position of women in classical China
Brahmins: The
Indian social class of priests. (pron.
BRAH-min)
caste: The system
of social organization in India that has evolved over millennia; it is based on
an original division of the populace into four inherited classes (varna), with the addition of thousands
of social distinctions based on occupation (jatis), which became the main cell of social life in India. (pron.VAR -nah
/JAH-tee)
dharma: In
Indian belief, performance of the duties appropriate to an individual’s caste;
good performance will lead to rebirth in a higher caste.
karma: In Indian
belief, the force generated by one’s behavior in a previous life that decides
the level at which an individual will be reborn.
Ksatriya: The
Indian social class of warriors and rulers. (pron. kshah-TREE -yah)
“ritual purity”: In Indian social
practice, the idea that members of higher castes must adhere to strict
regulations limiting or forbidding their contact with objects and members of
lower castes to preserve their own caste standing and their relationship with
the gods.
scholar-gentry
class: A term used to describe members of China
Sudra: The
lowest Indian social class of varna varna
the “three
obediences”: In Chinese Confucian thought, the notion that a woman is
permanently subordinate to male control: first to her father, then to her
husband, and finally to her son.
untouchables: An
Indian social class that emerged below the Sudras and whose members performed
the most unclean and polluting work.
Vaisya: The
Indian social class that was originally defined as farmers but eventually
comprised merchants. (pron.
VIESH-yah)
Wang Mang: A Han
court official who usurped the throne and ruled from 8 c.e. to 23 c.e.;
noted for his reform movement that included the breakup of large estates. (pron. wahng mahng)
Wu, Empress: The
only female “emperor” in Chinese history (r. 690–705 c.e.), Empress Wu patronized scholarship, worked to elevate
the position of women, and provoked a backlash of Confucian misogynist
invective.
Wudi: The
Chinese emperor (r. 141–87 b.c.e.)
who started the Chinese civil service system with the establishment in 124 b.c.e. of an imperial academy for future
officials. (pron. woo-dee)
Yellow Turban
Rebellion: A massive Chinese peasant uprising inspired by Daoist teachings
that began in 184 c.e. with the
goal of establishing a new golden age of equality and harmony.
Agenda:
1. QUIZ - Chapter 6 Social Hierarchies of Classic Eurasian World. Students may use open notes.
2. Discuss the questions: (Notes for this period)
- What is the difference between class and caste?
- What philosophical, religious, or cultural ideas served to legitimate the class and gender inequalities of classical civilizations?
- “Social inequality was both accepted and resisted in classical civilizations.” What evidence might support this statement?
Check out video clips from this class below:
