Jeremy Seabrook: The No-Nonsense Guide to Class, Caste & Hierarchies [2002] paperback

After nearly two centuries of industrialization, social relationships still tend to be defined by whether you are an owner, a manager or a shop-floor worker. In older but less industrialized societies, notably India, the caste system defines inherited and fixed positions in society. In totalitarian regimes, a hierarchical structure is created through party allegiance and bureaucratic or military rank.