Guides: South Asian Studies: Caste

Caste in South Asia and Beyond

This section of the research guide contains academic, educational, and other resources regarding casteism and Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi rights movements. To further understand the content of this guide, here are the definitions for key terms:

Dalit: Dalit literally translates to "oppressed" or "broken." The name has been adopted by the people who were previously (and pejoratively) called "untouchables." They occupy a caste outside of the main four castes and have been historically oppressed by the upper castes for generations. In legal terms, they are a part of the "Scheduled Castes" in India. Please refer to the link labeled "Dalits- Minority Rights" in the "Educational and Academic Resources" section for further information as this is where this definition was pulled from.

Adivasi: Adivasi refers to a member of any of the indigenous/tribal peoples of South Asia. Legally speaking, they are a part of the "Scheduled Tribes" in India. Please refer to the link labeled "Adivasis- Minority Rights" in the "Educational and Academic Resources" section for further information as this is where this definition was pulled from.

Educational and Academic Resources

Adivasis- Minority Rights
Dalits- Minority Rights
What is Caste? (Equality Labs)
CASTE: A Global Journal on Social Exclusion
Caste Discrimination: A Global Concern (from Human Rights Watch) A Report by Human Rights Watch for the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Durban, South Africa, September 2001.
India's Dalit Panthers
Manifesto of the Dalit Panthers
Measuring Caste in India (Pew Research Center)
When Caste Discrimination Comes To The United States (NPR Code Switch Podcast)

Miscellaneous

CADALFEST The CADALFEST series [Celebrating Adivasi and Dalit Arts and Literature Festival] has taken place in various locations in the UK and in India between October 2022 and February 2023, with the opening and final events taking place in Nottingham. These events included poetry, music, drama performances and films, along with Workshops, Masterclasses and public discussions with practitioners of both folk and contemporary performative art forms with the contribution of academic researchers who introduced performances, conducted interviews, contributed to the discussions, and more. This website contains galleries and recordings of performances and art from the festival.
Dalit History Month Blog This participatory community history project redefines the history of the Indian Subcontinent through a Dalit lens.
Dalit Archives Dalit Archives is a network of community archives and public art interventions that seek to record histories of caste through primarily a Dalit-feminist perspective. Dalit Queer Project and Dalit Art Archive are two of its’ iterations that use the methods of digital humanities to tell the stories of Dalit communities, their art, lives, and queerness.

Rights and Advocacy Organizations

Ambedkar Association of North America AANA is guided by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s lifelong work and vision to uplift the downtrodden through education. Education provides the suppressed an opportunity to escape their poverty, experience a better quality of life, and have a voice in their communities. AANA also makes it its mission to spread Buddha’s message of peace and kindness to humanity through cultural, educational, social and economic activities among the South Asian Diaspora in North America.
Dalit Solidarity Forum USA
Equality Labs (United States) Equality Labs is a South Asian Dalit civil rights organization based out of California. They work to end caste apartheid, gender based violence, Islamophobia, and white supremacy through advocacy, education, digital security, and collective healing.
International Commission for Dalit Rights ICDR International is a leading global movement of people striving to eliminate Caste or Work and Descent-based Discrimination (CWDD), inequality and injustice. They campaign for the rights and dignity of nearly 280 million Dalits, marginalized and underprivileged people worldwide who face CWDD and Social Exclusion.
International Dalit Solidarity Network The International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) was founded in March 2000 to advocate for Dalit human rights and to raise awareness of Dalit issues nationally and internationally. IDSN is a network of international human rights groups, development agencies, national Dalit solidarity networks from Europe, and national platforms in caste-affected countries.
List of Dalit Civil Society Organizations' Coalition for UPR, Nepal From the Universal Periodical Review - Nepal at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (India) National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) was founded in 1998 and is a collab of Dalit Human Rights Activists and Academicians to end caste-based discrimination. It works in 15 states all over India and works to spread awareness about Dalit issues and rights.
Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO) Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO) is a pioneer organization in combating “caste-based discrimination and untouchability’’ and promoting equality and dignity of Dalit in Nepal.
Parittran (Bangladesh) Parittran is the first Dalit social action group in Bangladesh working for the empowerment of Dalit communities. This is a community-based organisation and network that works to secure social change and protect the rights of the Dalits. Parittran is committed towards building a strong line of leadership for the Dalit Movement.
Tribal Army (India) Tribal Army is a community-driven organization dedicated to empowering and uplifting Adivasi communities in India since 2016. T heir primary focus is on promoting sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, preserving cultural heritage, and advocating for social equality among tribal populations. We firmly believe in fostering positive change through peaceful means, engaging in deliberation, and working within the framework of the Indian constitution.

Films and Documentaries

Dalit Filmography
This chronological list of films includes feature films, short films or documentaries that engage with caste, directly or indirectly.

Books

Adivasi Rights and Exclusion in India by Edited By V. Srinivasa Rao
ISBN: 9780367733421
Publication Date: December 18, 2020
Annihilation of Caste by B. R. Ambedkar; Arundhati Roy (Introduction by); S. Anand (Editor)
ISBN: 9353040779
Publication Date: 2016-02-16
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
ISBN: 0593230256
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
Caste Matters by Suraj Yengde
ISBN: 0670091227
Publication Date: 2019-07-08
Dalit Studies by Ramnarayan S. Rawat (Editor); K. Satyanarayana (Editor)
ISBN: 9780822374312
Publication Date: 2016-04-07
Why I Am Not a Hindu by Kancha Ilaiah
ISBN: 9788185604824
Publication Date: 2005-01-01