Oxford University Union Adds Caste to Protected Category

In a ground breaking development at Oxford University, a significant stride towards inclusivity has been achieved as the institution formally recognizes "caste" as a protected characteristic. This historic decision, passed by the Oxford University and College Union (UCU), marks a crucial milestone in the ongoing global efforts to address caste discrimination within academic settings.

As the South Asian population in the United Kingdom increases, caste discrimination is a growing issue on college and university campuses across the country. With more Indians choosing to study in the UK, students from marginalized communities face caste divisions that operate covertly.

The prestigious Oxford University became another premier institution to add caste to the list of protected categories. According to a post on the Oxford South Asian forum, “We are thrilled to announce that @OxfordUCU has passed a resolution recognizing ‘caste’ as a protected characteristic.”

The University and College Union, which represents more than 120,000 academics and support staff, approved the motion to add caste as a protected category. The November meeting of the union, held on 23rd, aimed at supporting negotiations and discussions with Oxford University regarding an "anti-caste discrimination framework."

Giving further details regarding this development, the thread by Oxford South Asian Ambedkar forum read, “UCU Oxford will support us in their negotiations and discussions with Oxford University regarding their ‘anti-caste discrimination’ framework. We will meet with the UCU Regional Forum to discuss meaningful changes to anti-discriminatory guidance. However, before Oxford, the Student Union of the School of Oriental and Asian Studies London had recognized caste as a protected category.

International Universities Increasingly Recognizing Caste as a Protected Category

December 2019: Brandeis University, a private research university in Massachusetts, became the first American university to prohibit caste discrimination. “Brandeis University celebrates the diversity of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. It is in this spirit that the institution seeks to effectively address the concept of caste and its corresponding identity-based lived experience within our policy on non-discrimination.” Read the statement released by the University.

November 2021: The University of California, Davis, codified the social system of caste as a protected category under its anti-discrimination policy.

December 2021: Harvard became the first Ivy League university to recognize caste-based discrimination as an issue of concern after Harvard Graduate Student Union ratified a four-year contract that includes a provision for the addition of caste as a “protected category” for all graduate and undergraduate student workers at the university.

December 2022: Brown University, based in the United States, became another Ivy League institution to ban discrimination based on caste.

April 2023: Rutgers University of New Jersey provided safeguard against caste-based discrimination to its faculties and students. In April 2023, Columbia University, the alma mater of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, added caste as a protected category following the efforts of Vikas Tatad, who holds a key position of student representative.

Besides this, various schools and departments across universities in the United States have also added caste to their discrimination policy. For example, four schools in the University of Minnesota have added caste to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion criteria. The Toronto School Board in Canada became the first school board to acknowledge the existence of caste in school boards.

Earlier this year, Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, launched the Savitri-bai-Phule graduate scholarship for Bahujan students. Niharika Singh from Lucknow became the first recipient of the scholarship.

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