Privileged castes selectively endorse essentialism that justifies privilege

Evidence

Mahalingam (2003) examined essentialism in the context of the caste system in India and found that Brahmins endorsed a selective form of essentialism that justified their group’s position of privilege in the system. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1413

Categorization

• XREF: Cross-cultural parallel with system justification and Allport’s earlier observations; connects to status hierarchy maintenance across very different societies. — connects to: Genius requires belonging to a privileged caste that treats the universe as its own. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1951; Critiques of essentialism that target only the marginalized reinforce existing domination.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1413