Session 1 - What is Caste?#

In the first session, we will try and dig into what Caste means.

Required Reading#

• Castes in India - Dr. B.R Ambedkar - Source BAWS
• The Birth of Caste - Guha, S. (2013). “The Birth of Caste”. In Beyond Caste. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004254855_003
• Caste in 21st century India: Competing Narratives - Desai S, Dubey A. Caste in 21st Century India: Competing Narratives. Econ Polit Wkly. 2012 Mar 12;46(11):40-49. PMID: 22736803; PMCID: PMC3379882.
• Does Untouchability exist among Muslims? - Prashant K Trivedi, Srinivas Goli, Fahimuddin, Surinder Kumar - Source Economic & Political Weekly Vol LI NO 15
• The Church Divided: The Operation of Caste in Indian Christianity - Diwakar Rao Jilla (2025) - The Ambedkarian Chronicle

Additional Sources#

• coming soon

Questions#

• How is caste defined?
• How was it historically constructed?
• How does it persist in modern India?
• Does caste persist in Muslim and Christian communities?