HUMA 1846 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Scheduled Castes And Scheduled Tribes, Caste System In India, Dalit
Lecture 11: Religion and Dalit Experience
1.Thinking through caste
How is caste hierarchy maintained & perpetuated in India?
•Brahmins maintain social and religious power
Dalits and Adivasis
•Dalit – means ‘crushed’ (like Dal); the oppressed Also called Dalitbahujans, by Kancha Iliah &
others, meaning the “majority of the oppressed”.
•Adivasi – ‘tribal’ or indigenous peoples (Mundas, Santals)
Dalits and “Untouchability”
•What does it mean to be“untouchable?” - not treated like humans
•Sometimes derogatorily referred to as achut or pariah.
•Meaning of “untouchability”?
•Not normal interactions bet. peoples; people who are not pure but permanently, ritually
polluted in Hindu conception; outside varna or caste system (avarna)
•Not being able to be touched by “clean” Hindu castes
B. Government or Administrative Terms for “untouchables”
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
•Depressed Castes: term used first by missionaries & adopted by the British
•Scheduled castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST)
◦ Referred to list of depressed groups entitled to special reservations for gov’t jobs &
school positions
◦ Terms also used in Indian Constitution
•OBC – Other Backward Classes (Referred to in Mandal report in 1980)
◦ Lower castes – Śudras, in addition to SCs & STs, which are also oppressed, in poverty
Dalit Religion
•Dalits as Hindus? Are dalits part of Hindu tradition? - aren’t allowed to practise hinduism as
they aren’t even allowed in many hindu temples
•Do conversions work as an escape from caste oppression?
•Conversions: Dalits as
◦ Sikhs
◦Buddhists
◦Muslims
◦Christians
Caste among Sikhs
•‘Caste’ expressed as social class and clan
•‘Singh’ and ‘Kaur’ (members of the initiated, the khalsa; implies
•Khatri (kind of Kshatriya category among Sikhs; wealthy classes who converted to Sikhism)
brother- & sisterhood)
•Jat (Refers to those coming from agricultural occupations)
•Mazhabi (Dalits: Chuhra, Rangreta (like Jaita in “The Untouchables”)
•Thus, caste categories & identities still alive in Sikh community.
Caste and Buddhism
•Early anti-caste movement from 6th century BCE?
•Theravada Buddhism – more conservative tradition; practiced mostly in Sri Lanka
•‘Navayana’ Buddhism; Ambedkar’s conversion of many dalits in 1956
◦ Beliefs explicitly anti-caste
◦ Often referred to as Neo (new)-Buddhists
Caste among South Asian Muslims
•Ashraf (honourable or noble peoples, esp. those descended from Mohammed) and Ajlaf
(converts; commoners) – nobility vs. peasantry
•Arzal – Dalit Muslims (Juhala, Kabir’s Muslim caste)
•Kafa’a – not caste but way of assessing suitability or compatibility among Muslims, esp. for
purpose of marriage
Caste as a ‘social practice’ among South Asian Christians
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
How is caste hierarchy maintained & perpetuated in india: brahmins maintain social and religious power. Dalits and adivasis: dalit means crushed" (like dal); the oppressed also called dalitbahujans, by kancha iliah & others, meaning the majority of the oppressed , adivasi tribal" or indigenous peoples (mundas, santals) Aren"t allowed to practise hinduism as they aren"t even allowed in many hindu temples: do conversions work as an escape from caste oppression, conversions: dalits as, sikhs, buddhists, muslims, christians. Caste as a social practice" among south asian christians: syrian christians (mainly in kerala & tamil nadu; more integrated within hindu caste system, catholicism and conversion (came with euro, esp. Calicut; 1510 in goa; sri lanka: missionaries sent to south asia & far east, adopted some of strictest rules about caste, like separate communions for dalits, in goa, christians had separate caste system, parallel to hindus. British & later americans: hinduism and caste.