Lec #18: Caste, Religion, and Identity in India and beyond

Question 1

What is Caste?

Answer 1

its a hierarchical system based on:

• Birth (your descent and biological relationship)
• Hereditary occupation

Question 2

What does it mean by caste is a closed system?

Answer 2

• it means it blocks human possibility
• ascribed status: someones membership is determined at birth
• restricts upward mobility (which creates discrimination against lower levels of people)
• marriage is restricted to members of ones own caste (endogamous)

Question 3

Who are the Dalits (untouchables)?

Answer 3

• the word Dalits means broken, ground down, or oppressed”
• They do manual jobs like cleaning streets, parks, cleaning toilets, garbage picking
• considered impure and polluting, so they are physically and socially excluded and isolated from the rest of society

Question 4

What are some examples of the violence the dalits endured?

Answer 4

• dalits are deprived of reasonable wage for their work and they are often denied education, health care, and employment (due to discriminatory state policies)
• since dalits are considered impure, higher caste people not supposed to touch them (the idea of superiority and inferiority)
• dalits are considered less human than all other 4 caste people
• dalits or lower caste women are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, discrimination, physical violence and sexual abuse

Question 5

Is the caste system in India racist? Why?

Answer 5

• yes it is b/c clear injustices and inequalities are created to justify all forms of injustices:
• direct and structural violence (sexual abuse, physical harm, hatred)
• it produces the idea of racial superiority and inferiority because of the levels each person is at in the caste system
• considers some humans as less and impure/untouchables
• degrading people of lower castes

Question 6

what roles did the british colonial government have in perpetuating caste system in india?

Answer 6

• people always had to identify which caste they were in
• the privilege of some caste and the oppression of other became more intense
• they also added the element of colour to the class hierarchy