Introduction

Social classes are ubiquitous, but the social classification of people into bounded groups – referred to as ‘castes’ is another matter. These are social groups mapped to a hierarchical arrangement, so that some are secure in their unshakeable position at the top, while others are condemned to remain at the bottom, simply because this is the social station they were born into. In contrast to economic class, which can also be difficult to transcend, birth-acquired caste status cannot be voluntarily changed. Intercaste marriage effects one’s status, but individual economic advancement does not have the traction to shift one’s position within the caste hierarchy. Sometimes, though, at historical turning points, entire groups may move upwards or downwards as a result of the patronage of ruling regimes. Thus, wars have raised the status of ‘warrior’ castes, and when colonial regimes wanted to translate indigenous texts, the status of ritual priests was enhanced to that of a ‘learned’ caste (Bayly 1999). However, throughout various historical upheavals, the ‘Untouchable’ castes remain the lowest in the hierarchy, even below the ‘labouring’ castes. Where mobility occurs, it is not attributable to individual effort or merit; instead, it is the mechanisms and exigencies of governance that determine the potentiality of small movements upwards or downwards.

To engage meaningfully in the lives of people inhabiting a caste world, it becomes imperative to understand what it means to face caste prejudice or ‘casteism’.