HUMA 1846 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Scheduled Castes And Scheduled Tribes, Caste System In India, Dalit
25 Aug 2016
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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
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•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.
