Madrasas, Social Stratification, and Identity Formation: The Social Functions of Islamic Education in the Indian Subcontinent
Madrasas, Social Stratification, and Identity Formation: The Social Functions of Islamic Education in the Indian Subcontinent

Summary/Abstract: Educational institutions have historically assumed central roles not only in the transmission of knowledge but also in the shaping of social structures and the construction of collective identities. This article examines madrasas in the Indian Subcontinent from a sociological perspective, arguing that they functioned not merely as centers of religious learning but also as institutional mechanisms of social stratification and identity formation. Institutionalized since the period of the Dihlī Sulṭānate (1206–1526) and the Mugẖal ̱ Empire (1526–1857), the madrasa system simultaneously transmitted scholarly knowledge and religious authority to Muslim communities while offering opportunities for social mobility, thereby enabling individuals from lower social strata to attain higher intellectual and spiritual status. At the same time, however, madrasas concentrated religious authority and cultural capital within specific groups, thereby reproducing social differentiation and consolidating hierarchies of knowledge. The study employs Émile Durkheim’s approach to social integration, Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus, and Max Weber’s analysis of status groups as its primary theoretical framework, while Berger and Luckmann’s theory of social construction serves as a complementary lens for understanding the processes of identity formation. The research adopts a conceptual analysis method rather than empirical fieldwork; it draws upon historical sources, archival materials, and both classical and contemporary literature on Islamic education. This approach enables a theoretically consistent examination of how madrasas evolved as dynamic institutions reflecting broader transformations in Muslim societies. The article’s original contribution lies in its integrative interpretation of madrasas as institutions performing multiple and sometimes contradictory social functions—equalizing, differentiating, and identity-forming—within the broader sociology of religion.

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