The caste system is a framework of social classification and stratification based on endogamy, occupation, economic status, and ethnicity.

Though it is most commonly associated with Hinduism and India, social stratification systems based on caste are, or have been, present in many countries of the world, on all continents. The term comes from early, 16th Century, Portuguese explorations of India. Though notions of caste certainly existed in India in some form, it is now widely believed that the system observed by these explorers was more a reflection of their own misunderstandings and prejudices than it was a strict social reality. Still, caste systems continue to function in many places in the world today. It is estimated that 250 million people worldwide experience discrimination based on caste.

• Doc Searls Weblog: IQ: A Caste System that Gets Personal

• Marginal Revolution: Was the Indian Caste System Efficient?

• Washington Post: On Faith: A Caste System for ChristiansWARNING: Pop-ups

• New Economist: Explaining the Persistence of India's Caste System

• Joseph D'souza: The End of Upper Caste Propaganda in Global Forums

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