Cultural Change

Westernization is a process of social change, and the term was conceptualized by the Indian sociologist M.N. Srinivas. He defined it as "the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule, and the term subsumes changes occurring at different levels – technology, institutions, ideology, and values."
Key Aspects:

Multi-layered Process: It is not just about adopting Western attire or language. It includes deep-seated changes like adopting Western educational systems, legal systems (law and administration), technology, and values like rationalism, humanism, and equality.

Value-Laden Term: Unlike Sanskritization, Srinivas noted that Westernization often implies a value judgment of whether the change is 'good' or 'bad'.

Complex and Contradictory: The process is complex, as Indians did not adopt everything from the West. They were selective, and the impact varied across different sections of society.

Sanskritization is a process of cultural mobility in the traditional Indian social structure, a concept developed by M.N. Srinivas. Its three key characteristics are:

Process of Emulation: It is a process where a 'low' caste or tribe emulates the customs, rituals, ideology, and way of life of a high, and often, a 'twice-born' (dwija) caste. The group being emulated serves as a 'reference group'.

Leads to Positional Change, Not Structural Change: Sanskritization may lead to an improvement in the position of a particular group within the local caste hierarchy over a generation or two. However, it does not lead to a change in the caste system itself. The system of hierarchy remains; only the position of a specific group within it changes.

A Two-Way Process and Varies by Region: While the main direction is the adoption of 'Sanskritic' or high-caste traits by lower castes, Srinivas also noted that the process is not one-sided. Local 'little traditions' often influence the 'great tradition' as well. Furthermore, the model of Sanskritization is not always the Brahmin; it could be the locally dominant Kshatriya or Vaishya caste.