Wikipedia: Definition of jAti
jAti describes thousands of clans, tribes and sub-communities in India. Classical scriptures do not use the word jAti. This is a socio-economic and cultural system that has come into existence in the last thousand years. jAtis originally started out as economic specialization of various categories work as such stone masons, Jewelers, shoe makers etc.
It was beneficial for all the people having a particular skill to associate with others in that group to increase their specialization. jAti was a means for economic specialization within the clan. Many of the jAtis in non-brahmin classes wielded high economic power until the advent of British. Gradually, this seems to have transformed in some cases into extreme separation of groups, discrimination and untouchability etc.
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