The damaging consequences of caste-based oppression, and its impact on the Indian diaspora in Western societies

Presenters: Shubhara Bhattacharjee

In March of 2021, India experienced an enormous surge in COVID-19 cases. Widespread coverage of the unfolding situation revealed human suffering and loss of life on an enormous scale, and also saw collective mobilization of the Indian diaspora and other global communities to aid the people in India. The surge also highlighted systemic failures and the cavernous gulf in economic, social, and health inequality in a nation of more than a billion people. These inequalities are part of the legacy of the centuries old caste system that persists in the Indian subcontinent, despite affirmative action policies and a constitution outlawing caste-based discrimination. The caste system is inseparable from the dehumanizing of millions of people. The caste system also persists in the wider Indian diaspora, which forms part of many societies across the world. Caste-based oppression is replicated in numerous environments, such as social, educational, professional, and private. In this workshop, the facilitator acknowledges the complex history of the Indian caste system, and speaks to some its consequences in both India and the Indian diaspora. From this workshop, attendees will receive some understanding of the caste system in India and the wider diaspora, an understanding of the psychological impact of oppression, and appreciation of the parallels of caste-based oppression with the multiple other systems that they may also encounter.

Register

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at diversity@pitt.edu by July 21

This workshop is a part of the 2021 Diversity Forum.