WritingWithColor (Posts tagged caste)

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babybirdnight asked:

Hello, I am a Black girl writing a story with a predominantly Black group that revolves around magic and royalty. The story is dual perspective, and while one of the narrators is Black, the other is South Asian, specifically of Indian descent.

As I make up this new system of magic and mythology, I'm worried that I'm erasing the culture of the character. I wanted to ask if me creating this new culture and history will make my brown characters seem more like decoration instead of people with their own backgrounds, or if I'm just overthinking it and I should continue writing with this system.


Note: In the mythology, the land and the people on it were created from clay which is why a majority of them are brown (complexion wise). The group later discovers things that put their religion question, but overall these beliefs play a big role in the story.

Black and Indian characters, people compared to clay and and newly created magical history & mythology

I really don’t think it’s a good idea for these people to be brown because they’re made of clay, or any type of dirt. In South Asian cultures, shadeism and the implication that someone is brown, or dark skinned, because they’re dirty, or of dirt, has deep ties to classism, casteism, and the oppression of Adivasi people.

- SK

Agreed with Mod SK about the clay thing. From my personal experience, this is a comparison which is extremely prevalent within South Asian communities due to deeply entrenched beauty norms, dating back to imperialist-typical racism in the British legislation and even pre-colonial decades. Refer to: my school dance teacher worrying aloud about putting me in the front line during a recital because my “rong” (complexion) was not “porishkar” (“clean”; as in, fair or light). Refer to even supposedly “progressive” movies and shows like Udta Punjab and The Family Man which used brownface on pale-skinned actresses for consciously perpetuating class stereotypes. In certain Indian linguistic systems at least, like my mother tongue Bengali, pale skin has often been linked to connotations of cleanliness and purity, carrying within itself an unmistakably casteist tone. I would strongly recommend researching the Varna (Varna literally translates to colour in Sanskrit) system of India, with emphasis on the way its implications have been codified into modern practices of Hinduism in India.

Finally, India as a country does not consist of a homogenous population of “brown people “, even though social media and fandom culture often tends to lump us into one mass, without taking into account that Indians can hail from a multitude of ethnicities. 

Also, and I’m not being facetious here and am genuinely curious:

  • How do you intend to go about assigning our origin to clay when India itself has a varied topographic profile? 
  • Would this indicate that the people hailing from the Deccan Plateau region would have a darker skin tone, owing to the black soil of that region (equating skin tone to the clay of origin)?

Suggested articles for reading:

Finally here is my ko-fi, because I always appreciate a tip.

- Mimi

As Black people aren’t all assigned some magic / mythology culture by default, this is not erasure. That’s definitely individual. 

The clay thing is a bit… Interesting, not the worst thing (in my opinion) but not the best. There’s definitely this direct comparison to dark skin and dirt when you have people made of earth, quite literally. Sometimes it’s really how you put the spin on it if it becomes passable. I’ve addressed this in a couple questions comparing a Black person’s skin to dirt / soil / earth. There’s one way of doing it that is better than the other. Still - Black and Brown folks may not like it regardless so there is that risk due to the strong connotations to dirt and dark people being dirty, which in your case  makes it literal (see the responses from my fellow mods).

I’d also like to know how non-Black and  / or  Brown people go about being created. If they’re singled out as being clay-made while white people are made out of moon dust and rivers and stars (which are basically free of ulterior connotations), then I’d absolutely take notice and would be adverse to BiPoc then, being made of clay.

It would feel dehumanizing and I’d rather you find an equally positive associated manner of origins. The sun is a start! In any case, just avoid food origins for the many reasons outlined in the skin color “POC and Food Comparisons” guide. 

More reading:

~Mod Colette

I’d agree with what the other mods are saying and maybe review why clay. It’s not unheard of for African writers to use this motif; Lesley Nneka Arimah uses it in her short story “What We Bring At Home” when the protagonist wants a child and fashions one. The rub is that it’s a horror tale, so maybe consider your reason for paying homage to this, how you want the worldbuilding to affect the tone. Clay can come in different colors naturally from red in river clay and so forth. If you want to use the motif, it may be worth going beyond black, brown and white tones. 

- Mod Jaya

Ask published Oct 2021

babybirdnight skin color black and white eurocentric beauty standards Black Indian Desi skin tone description colorism shadeism caste asks
writingwithcolor

Should I bring up caste at all?

writingwithcolor

@scribeofthecodex said:

My question is if you’re writing an Indian American character for a story as a white writer, should you bring up the caste at all? I know surnames can tell what caste a character could come from, and have read news articles on how caste can follow a person even after immigration or even changing of religions, but it does sound like a case of ‘not my story to tell’ because it can be so complex and really easy to get wrong. So is it better not to talk about it or is erasure of important issues?

Whenever you write a white character, do you feel the need to discuss racism, even if the plot doesn’t involve social justice topics? If you don’t feel comfortable writing about casteism as a social issue, then don’t. It’s not something I’m comfortable writing about as a South Asian, definitely not something I’d recommend to a white writer who’s not prepared to do the hard work.

The main issues I see in South Asian characters is that non-scheduled castes are the most commonly represented, writers often portray the culture of non-scheduled castes as the only South Asian culture, and casteism in the writing itself.

When writing a character from a non-scheduled caste, I would keep those things in mind. I would be careful about casteism in the writing. Recognize that you aren’t breaking any barriers in this specific area.

Non-scheduled castes exist and make up a large part of the South Asian diaspora. There’s nothing wrong with writing characters from non-scheduled castes. However, casteism is primarily an intra-community issue and there’s nothing wrong with a South Asian character existing as a non-scheduled caste.

- SK

I think the advice of approaching writing Indians (particularly Hindus, and particularly Brahmin Hindus) as akin to writing about white people in the context of South Asia is helpful. More generally, this is about knowing that the existence of majority perspectives doesn’t make minority perspectives less valid or deserving of representation. It would be very exhausting if we devoted ourselves to discussing anti-caste and social justice topics all the time. Frankly, this is not a productive approach to a problem that spans millennia.

Depending on your setting, you can easily show caste diversity simply by how you name your characters. Someone growing up in Edison, New Jersey or a major American metropolitan area is likely to have many desi acquaintances from a variety of backgrounds. You can dodge the issue by making the story about children who are likely too young to be preoccupied by caste stereotypes or conflicts. Caste is a part of the identity of many desis, but it is a part, not the only part. Are race and nationality the only significant aspects of your own identity and character? If you aren’t comfortable addressing caste, simply seek a setting where caste is less relevant to your story. For me personally, pan-South Asian solidarity is more what I identified with in the US because many people I know experienced similar forms of discrimination and othering, particularly post-War on Terror. This isn’t to say casteism doesn’t happen in the US (See the Qualcomm incident), but for diaspora who grow up in the US, it can be easier to ID with people who share secular/ cultural aspects of life rather than focus on caste, religion and other divisions that are more relevant back home (Food, home life habits, where we shop, clothing, etc.).

To our desi followers, how do you feel about non-desi discussing caste? Do you feel this is an intra-community issue? Or one that can benefit from broader, global commentary? I believe the former (Having witnessed similar patterns of social stratification in Japan and the USA), but I also worry that many non-desi populations lack the education and appreciation for nuance needed to discuss this issue.

We request comments only from desi followers.

- Marika.

writingwithcolor

Reader Comments:

@mynameisriversong

:  I’m British Indian/Pakistani (mixed) and have a white co-writer on most of my projects and have asked that she does not bring it up. I am not comfortable sharing information about my caste especially since I am not fully indian.     

@a-green-bean:

i’m a brahmin atheist and i think bringing caste issues to the attention of people outside india is incredibly helpful, but i do not believe people who arent affected by the caste system should speak on it as an authority. its still an intra-community issue.   

@cookiesaresquishy

:

I’m desi (indian), and I have many friends who are desi, and honestly caste has never ever been something we talk about. i’m sure to some american desis caste is a big thing, but most i’ve met have never brought it up. i myself talked about it only a little with my parents, but thats it. since i think im from a decent(?) caste, i cant speak for others from lower/higher, but it barely holds a thought in my mind. I do not think you need to include castes as an explicit topic in your book at all. BUT i do think showing desis with different names as they are from different castes is good!! as you are white, it doesn’t sit right with me if you are trying to give your opinion on castes (as in, writing anti-caste stories or something). im very anti-caste myself, and i think that conversation should be led by desis. in the end, i dont think you really need to mention caste to have a fully-fleshed out indian american character. if you want to show connection to india or a disconnect between being american and indian, there are plenty more ways to do that.    

I think what’s interesting about your comment is that it does reveal how caste privilege persists within diaspora. You are aware that you are from a “decent” caste, but it’s not something you are made to worry about. However, I agree that think context is important. A story of desi children sharing a music or dance class, or a story about growing up in American suburbia  is going to have a very different tinge w/r to caste than a story about a young adult exploring their desi identity.       

@tobermoriansass

:

I think if someone’s going to include/comment on caste in a story then they have to be prepared to go all the way and delve through the material that’s been put together by dalit diaspora abroad to understand how caste plays out across multiple dimensions of, especially, Dalit Indians’ lives in the diaspora (which are frankly invisible to upper caste folks). Thenmozhi Soundarajan’s work along w Equality Labs would be a good starting point.

Agreed. I would like to see broader awareness of casteism in diaspora communities. I find that Thenmozhi Soundarajan offers a valuable perspective in terms of showing replication of caste structure in the USA. The Brahmin diaspora intransigence towards affirmative action is a great demonstration of this tendency, as is Brahmin resistance in acknowledging anti-blackness. Where I remain unsure is whether I want this discussion in the hands of white people who are often ignorant of how much Western proxies like class and race cloud their own perceptions of reality.

@dulaari

: I dunno. I don’t think it would be erasure at all not to discuss for a diaspora character - it’s not as if Indian-Americans spend all day thinking about caste, and I wouldn’t think it was strange if it never came up. However, I could easily see caste being brought up in a forced way and making the representation less believable overall. Unless you put in a LOT of research, might be best to avoid.

This is a good point. I always think it best for the author to consider their comfort level and ability to handle this type of story.

- Marika

user commentary mod commentary Desi caste politics caste South Asia wwc

Should I bring up caste at all?

@scribeofthecodex said:

My question is if you’re writing an Indian American character for a story as a white writer, should you bring up the caste at all? I know surnames can tell what caste a character could come from, and have read news articles on how caste can follow a person even after immigration or even changing of religions, but it does sound like a case of ‘not my story to tell’ because it can be so complex and really easy to get wrong. So is it better not to talk about it or is erasure of important issues?

Whenever you write a white character, do you feel the need to discuss racism, even if the plot doesn’t involve social justice topics? If you don’t feel comfortable writing about casteism as a social issue, then don’t. It’s not something I’m comfortable writing about as a South Asian, definitely not something I’d recommend to a white writer who’s not prepared to do the hard work.

The main issues I see in South Asian characters is that non-scheduled castes are the most commonly represented, writers often portray the culture of non-scheduled castes as the only South Asian culture, and casteism in the writing itself.

When writing a character from a non-scheduled caste, I would keep those things in mind. I would be careful about casteism in the writing. Recognize that you aren’t breaking any barriers in this specific area.

Non-scheduled castes exist and make up a large part of the South Asian diaspora. There’s nothing wrong with writing characters from non-scheduled castes. However, casteism is primarily an intra-community issue and there’s nothing wrong with a South Asian character existing as a non-scheduled caste.

- SK

I think the advice of approaching writing Indians (particularly Hindus, and particularly Brahmin Hindus) as akin to writing about white people in the context of South Asia is helpful. More generally, this is about knowing that the existence of majority perspectives doesn’t make minority perspectives less valid or deserving of representation. It would be very exhausting if we devoted ourselves to discussing anti-caste and social justice topics all the time. Frankly, this is not a productive approach to a problem that spans millennia.

Depending on your setting, you can easily show caste diversity simply by how you name your characters. Someone growing up in Edison, New Jersey or a major American metropolitan area is likely to have many desi acquaintances from a variety of backgrounds. You can dodge the issue by making the story about children who are likely too young to be preoccupied by caste stereotypes or conflicts. Caste is a part of the identity of many desis, but it is a part, not the only part. Are race and nationality the only significant aspects of your own identity and character? If you aren’t comfortable addressing caste, simply seek a setting where caste is less relevant to your story. For me personally, pan-South Asian solidarity is more what I identified with in the US because many people I know experienced similar forms of discrimination and othering, particularly post-War on Terror. This isn’t to say casteism doesn’t happen in the US (See the Qualcomm incident), but for diaspora who grow up in the US, it can be easier to ID with people who share secular/ cultural aspects of life rather than focus on caste, religion and other divisions that are more relevant back home (Food, home life habits, where we shop, clothing, etc.).

To our desi followers, how do you feel about non-desi discussing caste? Do you feel this is an intra-community issue? Or one that can benefit from broader, global commentary? I believe the former (Having witnessed similar patterns of social stratification in Japan and the USA), but I also worry that many non-desi populations lack the education and appreciation for nuance needed to discuss this issue.

We request comments only from desi followers.

- Marika.

South Asian indian indian american desi caste caste system casteism caste politics can I write about x representation asks

Names and the Self Respect Movement | Indian Spy | Bird wings

@theonlyseersapphire said:

Happy Halloween, I hope all of you are doing well!! So, I’m writing an Indian character, who was born in 1950, however, he’s from Tamil Nadu (and british immigrant), and just yesterday I learned about the self respect movement. Would it be more accurate if he had an original surname or his father’s name? 
And his mother, born in 1919-1920? Also, is it okay to make him a spy? (From a fantasy war) 
Last question I promise : is there anything wrong with giving him wings? Like bird wings?

A reminder to our followers that we ask questions be limited to 2 parts

Thank you for your support! Please review our policy on multi-part questions on the pinned main post. We will accept 2 part questions, but not 3. I’m answering this one just to let all of you know.

Note: Some of our followers have already mentioned the Self-Respect Movement indirectly. This anti-caste movement from the mid 1900s is a large part of why certain Tamilians will take on their father’s given name as their last name, rejecting caste identifiers.

Number 1: You don’t mention religion, but I’m going to answer assuming he’s Hindu based on the information provided. Please research names and caste accordingly. It depends on how “deep” into the movement he is, and whether or not he views the name as instrumental to perpetrating caste oppression or not. Some people did, some didn’t. As a Brahmin, I would never give up my name even though it obviously shows my caste status. This has nothing to do with me thinking caste is anything special. Quite to the contrary. However, there are two issues:

  • I know that demanding other Brahmins not see me as a Brahmin lowers my social capital with them. To me, this diminishes my social utility.
  • On a certain level, I am genuinely proud to be a Brahmin. It’s a part of me in the same way I’ve heard Jewish people describe their relationship with their identity. A Brahmin like me isn’t a good fit for the Self Respect Movement. I don’t know the caste of your character, but how they view Brahmins and Brahmanism would play a role for them as it would for me.

In other words, this depends on your character, how they view themselves, caste, Hinduism, equality, social norms, all of that stuff. Your character may very well even choose to cease to be Hindu and convert to another religion, but I think you should ask a former Hindu how to proceed with that storyline appropriately if you go that route. 

Number 2: For a mother born in 1919, having a son at 31 is a bit old for the standards of the time. My grandmother was considered a late marriage at the age of 24. That said, there were lots of miscarriages and stillbirths in my family as there would be in any Indian family starting out in the 1940s-1950s while the British Empire drew to a close. You’d need to have a sense of birth trends, infant mortality rates, health infrastructure, etc. With regards to the spying…who is he spying for and for what? As always, research! 

Number 3: No issue with giving him wings…but why??? Seems not super helpful if he’s a spy.

- Marika.

I can only answer the part about the wings. Bird wings would be hard to hide, as Marika points out, unless they can appear or vanish at will. He would need really bulky jackets to cover them. Perhaps it’s best to skip the wings on this one.

- Jaya

South Asia India Self-respect Movement anti-caste movements casteism South Asian history espionage spies wings South Asian Indian Indian Men supernatural beings caste asks

Choosing a caste for your South Asian character in the diaspora

questbedhead asked:

Re: your naming south Asian characters post, specifically the Hindu caste system- Most of what I’ve read about the caste system suggests it’s a very complicated and fraught issue in modern india/hindu communities. I know it would be inappropriate to try and comment on it as someone not from that culture, but when it comes to naming characters accurately how should one approach choosing a caste for their characters family? Particularly for a character living in a diaspora?

Better do it right than do it wrong

While Dalit and scheduled caste representation is desperately needed, it would not be inappropriate to choose a privileged caste.

If your characters are Hindu, it will be almost impossible to choose a surname that doesn’t indicate, or at least hint towards a caste.

- SK

I think poor, inaccurate representation is always worse than under-representation. In Western countries today, non-scheduled caste Hindus tend to have more visibility because of things like wealth and social influence. Thus, their perspectives are more accessible. Nevertheless, in the part of the US where I live, and I suspect in other parts of the world with large, diverse Hindu diaspora communities, SC (Scheduled caste) and OBC (Other Backward Caste) visibility is something that exists, particularly among diaspora activists working to support anti-caste movements.

Research, research, research !

I would suggest diving in and figuring out what your research tells you. South Asian diaspora have had many waves, from antiquity (Romani) to Britannia (Guyana, Nigeria, S. Africa, SE Asia, etc.) to more current waves (Middle East, Australia, N. America, Europe). The Wikipedia articles on the topic are quite extensive.

Tips:

I prefer to choose characters by first choosing a region and then seeing what I can find in the research. If the research is sufficient, I consider whether the characteristics I’m looking to express make sense in the context of the character’s cultural background. If not, I repeat the process again with a different region. It helps to not be attached during this process, and allow the research to guide the writing.

- Marika.

South Asia South Asian diaspora Hindu character Hinduism casteism caste system history research research research writing tips caste asks
writingwithcolor

alexlipnicki asked:

Hello! First of all, huge thank you to all the mods for the amazing work. My question is: I have a character who is an Indian woman living in the States. However, most of her family, which practices Hinduism, lives in a semi-fantasy world which is parallel to the regular world. Is it realistic and not offensive to have this family reject the caste system as an influence of the culture of this parallel world?

writingwithcolor answered:

Indian woman / family who reject caste | Indian Cultural Magic

Rejecting Caste

Hmm. The caste system is always iffy. It wouldn’t be necessarily realistic to reject the system but it is certainly possible. One white author that tackled this was the late Lloyd Alexander in The Iron Ring. People in my family are more subtle about their prejudices, but as immigrants castes aren’t as important in the United States.

Don’t forget that change isn’t always welcome, regardless of the community. You may have snooty Brahmans refusing to share water with undertakers and laborers, and sometimes angry mobs bringing out the flames.

More reading South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

Magic in Indian Cultures

More importantly, what kind of fantasy system in this? Magic in Indian culture has some different nuances from say someone waving a magic wand – usually only certain beings can cast spells. 

These include 

  • gods
  • demigod children
  • rakshasas
  • asuras
  • the immortals like Garuda, sages, Gandharvas, and so forth.

Magic performed by non-magical Indian people

An ordinary person can affect the world with meditation but only if they are concentrating hard for months at a time. They have to study with an instructor, say a guru, to achieve these powers honorably. Another way is to ask for boons from Brahma or Shiva.  

9Changes has good information on white and “black” magic in India. Black magic is meant to cause harm, while white magic does good. Colette reminds you to be mindful of implying Black as bad in your worlds, though, and that goes for magic as well. See the Black and White Color Symbolism Guide.

Some Hindus believe that people should seek help from the gods and that using any kind of magic is evil. If you have ordinary people, they have to put in the work. Children sired by gods have some latent abilities or blessings, as seen with Arjuna and Karna.

Indian Cultures and Chosen Ones

Also, Indian culture doesn’t have chosen ones necessarily; they have inconvenient prophecies or boons, and avatars interested in making destiny happen. Krishna is probably the closest thing to a chosen one, due to his divine birth and his uncle sending assassins after him since he was a child, He’s also a Vishnu avatar that causes as much pain as he does good, according to the Mahabharata, and invites death upon his people after the war ends.

If your system has chosen ones, their journey can’t be easy and they need to have a life after fulfilling their purpose. I’m all for Desi Harry Potter and taking back the narrative; just note that Hindus can be a bit strict and do research if you’re incorporating a caste system.

- Jaya

writingwithcolor

@tsscat says: 

I feel like it would be a good idea to discuss this with a Dalit sensitivity reader tbh. I’d recommend Mimi Mondal (https://mimimondal.com/editorial-services/). This sounds a little like the “I don’t see caste” phenomenon which is harmful for similar reasons that the “I don’t see race” phenomenon is. Also I’d recommend looking into which rituals/things you’re using to show that this family is Hindu.

Indian Indian woman family family life Magic hinduism caste caste system fantasy worldbuilding world building commentary

alexlipnicki asked:

Hello! First of all, huge thank you to all the mods for the amazing work. My question is: I have a character who is an Indian woman living in the States. However, most of her family, which practices Hinduism, lives in a semi-fantasy world which is parallel to the regular world. Is it realistic and not offensive to have this family reject the caste system as an influence of the culture of this parallel world?

Indian woman / family who reject caste | Indian Cultural Magic

Rejecting Caste

Hmm. The caste system is always iffy. It wouldn’t be necessarily realistic to reject the system but it is certainly possible. One white author that tackled this was the late Lloyd Alexander in The Iron Ring. People in my family are more subtle about their prejudices, but as immigrants castes aren’t as important in the United States.

Don’t forget that change isn’t always welcome, regardless of the community. You may have snooty Brahmans refusing to share water with undertakers and laborers, and sometimes angry mobs bringing out the flames.

More reading South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

Magic in Indian Cultures

More importantly, what kind of fantasy system in this? Magic in Indian culture has some different nuances from say someone waving a magic wand – usually only certain beings can cast spells. 

These include 

  • gods
  • demigod children
  • rakshasas
  • asuras
  • the immortals like Garuda, sages, Gandharvas, and so forth.

Magic performed by non-magical Indian people

An ordinary person can affect the world with meditation but only if they are concentrating hard for months at a time. They have to study with an instructor, say a guru, to achieve these powers honorably. Another way is to ask for boons from Brahma or Shiva.  

9Changes has good information on white and “black” magic in India. Black magic is meant to cause harm, while white magic does good. Colette reminds you to be mindful of implying Black as bad in your worlds, though, and that goes for magic as well. See the Black and White Color Symbolism Guide.

Some Hindus believe that people should seek help from the gods and that using any kind of magic is evil. If you have ordinary people, they have to put in the work. Children sired by gods have some latent abilities or blessings, as seen with Arjuna and Karna.

Indian Cultures and Chosen Ones

Also, Indian culture doesn’t have chosen ones necessarily; they have inconvenient prophecies or boons, and avatars interested in making destiny happen. Krishna is probably the closest thing to a chosen one, due to his divine birth and his uncle sending assassins after him since he was a child, He’s also a Vishnu avatar that causes as much pain as he does good, according to the Mahabharata, and invites death upon his people after the war ends.

If your system has chosen ones, their journey can’t be easy and they need to have a life after fulfilling their purpose. I’m all for Desi Harry Potter and taking back the narrative; just note that Hindus can be a bit strict and do research if you’re incorporating a caste system.

- Jaya

yurilipnicki Indian Indian woman family family life Magic hinduism caste fantasy worldbuilding world building caste system asks

South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

terriblenerd asked:

So happy your ask box is open again! I’ve been sitting on a question for a bit: with third-world fantasy, where do you draw the line between inspiration and appropriation? I’d like to branch out from the typical ~50 Shades of European~ settings, but I’m also worried about using parts of marginalized cultures to code nonwhite settings. FREX, a Jāti-like caste system based on magic ability. Heroine is in disadvantaged caste (and proud.) Would it be harmful to code this as South Asian? Thank you!

“Third-World Fantasy”

First I have to raise a flag on the notion of “third-world fantasy.”  This is not a thing.  I’m not sure if you’re using it here to describe fantasy where the overriding aesthetic is based on non-white societies but I think that unless you live in the “Third World,” using a term like this is not appropriate.  It does, to me, suggest is that European-based fantasy is the default and anything else requires qualification.  It’s fantasy—the only limits are those you put on your own world-building.

In general, there are two types of world orientation when it comes to fantasy: primary world fantasy, that takes place in our world, and secondary world fantasy, where the world is removed or disconnected from our world—and of course crossovers.  None of these has anything to do with the “Third World,” a Cold War-era geopolitical designation for any place not in the USA’s or USSR’s respective spheres of influence.  (The reference of “Third World” to “underdeveloped country” is actually a subsequent development arising from the stereotypical view of the non-aligned countries in the 1950s.)

Caste in Reality and in Fantasy

Imagine there’s something heinous that’s inextricably linked in the public mind to your culture.  Now imagine people outside your culture continually bring up that thing to score points against you.  That’s Hindus (and to a lesser but more general extent, South Asians) and the caste system.  When high schoolers in the US study world religions, you can’t avoid discussing the caste system when you talk about Hinduism (and you shouldn’t).  Unfortunately this results in westerners getting it into their heads about how oh-so-enlightened they are compared to those backwards people.  Then for a short while afterwards, the Hindu kid(s) in class may get grilled about what caste they are, and that’s a question you can’t answer right.  If you’re from a privileged caste background, you’re an oppressor.  If you’re from a disadvantaged caste background, you get called an untouchable or something awful (ever think, hey, maybe that crap’s what that kid’s family left the subcontinent to get away from?)

I will give the British Raj due credit for ending some pretty awful practices, like sati, and to a lesser extent child marriage, but casteism on the other hand, they actively encouraged—going to upper caste communities to find administrators who could engage in the direct oppression of lower castes while the ruling British maintained the appearance of neutrality.  And since casteism is legally banned in India but casteist attitudes are still de facto so rife should go to show how little the British presence did anything in that regard.

But if you look at the actual consequences of casteism, it runs on a scale from “not allowing your kids to play with the garbage worker’s kids because you’re an academic” to “murdering your own daughter for eloping with someone of the wrong religion”.  These things happen not just in South Asia, but in western societies too, and in non-western societies that people somehow think of as not casteist because they’re not South Asian.  The actual consequences of casteist views are found worldwide, even in the US and Europe.  We (South Asians) were just dumbass enough to codify it.

Today in South Asia, disadvantaged caste groups and their allies are fighting for proper, permanent reform and repair of the damage casteism has wrought on the subcontinent, but also against the image in the western mind of South Asians as a bunch of regressive caste-obsessives.

Why must this fantasy “caste system” be coded as a part of one particular culture?  It’s fantasy.  There’s literally magic, but we can’t get away from the notion of caste as a salient feature of “South Asianness”?  I’m sorry, this doesn’t sit well with me.  I would suggest you check out this tracing your logic post we have about character creation and make some analogies to see how the same logic and process applies to culture creation.

The lingering legacy of casteism is one of communal violence, and it is often these stories that filter through the western media to color the image of India and the subcontinent as an irredeemably backwards, repressive place.  We cannot deny the reality of casteist crimes that persist to the modern day; let me make that very clear, but we need to acknowledge that there is a history of anti-casteism in the subcontinent as old as the notion of caste itself. Cārvāka, Buddhism, Brahmo Samaj, the Self-Respect movement, and more philosophies besides all contained strong anti-caste elements.  The modern anti-caste movement is often troubled, often ineffective, but it pushes along, the ideological heir to the anti-caste legacy of yore, today sorely in need of allies.  

And one thing that needed is the dismantlement of the notion that there’s anything inherently South Asian, Indian, or Hindu about casteism, the dismantlement of the notion that caste is an inextricable part of what it means to be any of those things, and I don’t believe that coding a fantasy caste system as South Asian is helpful in any of those endeavors.

~Mod Nikhil

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