First published in 1949, this book is widely recognized as one of the most authoritative volumes of its kind. It analyzes caste (nature and origins, relationships with religion, occupations and family; class (the meaning of social, economic and political classes from their origins as estates” down to modern times); and, in the longest section of the book, the concepts of race and the relation of race to caste and class. The book concludes with a hundred-page section on race in the United States.”.