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The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition
For readers of Caste and Radical Dharma, an urgent call to action to end caste apartheid, grounded in Dalit feminist abolition and engaged Buddhism.
“Dalit” is the name that we chose for ourselves when Brahminism declared us “untouchable.” Dalit means broken. Broken by suffering. Broken by caste: the world’s oldest, longest-running dominator system…yet although “Dalit” means broken, it also means resilient.
Despite its ban more than 70 years ago, caste is thriving. Every 15 minutes, a crime is perpetrated against a Dalit person. The average age of death for Dalit women is just 39. And the wreckages of caste are replicated here in the U.S., too—erupting online with rape and death threats, showing up at work, and forcing countless Dalits to live in fear of being outed.
Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan puts forth a call to awaken and act, not just for readers in South Asia, but all around the world. She ties Dalit oppression to fights for liberation among Black, Indigenous, Latinx, femme, and Queer communities, examining caste from a feminist, abolitionist, and Dalit Buddhist perspective—and laying bare the grief, trauma, rage, and stolen futures enacted by Brahminical social structures on the caste-oppressed.
Soundararajan’s work includes embodiment exercises, reflections, and meditations to help readers explore their own relationship to caste and marginalization—and to step into their power as healing activists and changemakers. She offers skills for cultivating wellness within dynamics of false separation, sharing how both oppressor and oppressed can heal the wounds of caste and transform collective suffering.
Incisive and urgent, The Trauma of Caste is an activating beacon of healing and liberation, written by one of the world’s most needed voices in the fight to end caste apartheid.
“Dalit” is the name that we chose for ourselves when Brahminism declared us “untouchable.” Dalit means broken. Broken by suffering. Broken by caste: the world’s oldest, longest-running dominator system…yet although “Dalit” means broken, it also means resilient.
Despite its ban more than 70 years ago, caste is thriving. Every 15 minutes, a crime is perpetrated against a Dalit person. The average age of death for Dalit women is just 39. And the wreckages of caste are replicated here in the U.S., too—erupting online with rape and death threats, showing up at work, and forcing countless Dalits to live in fear of being outed.
Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan puts forth a call to awaken and act, not just for readers in South Asia, but all around the world. She ties Dalit oppression to fights for liberation among Black, Indigenous, Latinx, femme, and Queer communities, examining caste from a feminist, abolitionist, and Dalit Buddhist perspective—and laying bare the grief, trauma, rage, and stolen futures enacted by Brahminical social structures on the caste-oppressed.
Soundararajan’s work includes embodiment exercises, reflections, and meditations to help readers explore their own relationship to caste and marginalization—and to step into their power as healing activists and changemakers. She offers skills for cultivating wellness within dynamics of false separation, sharing how both oppressor and oppressed can heal the wounds of caste and transform collective suffering.
Incisive and urgent, The Trauma of Caste is an activating beacon of healing and liberation, written by one of the world’s most needed voices in the fight to end caste apartheid.
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2022
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June 13, 2022
My most anticipated non-fiction release of the year 2022!
And I am quite impressed. Yes, live and let live!
Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for the advance reading copy.
I have been actively searching for a up-to-date adult nonfiction read on Dalit and discrimination towards people of certain caste or community.
This book answered my prayers and I got it right during the time I am really concerned about these issues.
Four main sections with extra parts. I love the presentation and compilation of each part. The book starts with the basic description of how caste exists and the source of it. I do feel this is the part (the first two sections) which is most important.
Even if you don't have much time to read this book cover to cover, please read the first two sections. They have all the basic explanations and answers why and how caste exist.
Beyond that, the book further discuss on how this caste system affect our culture, how it affects gender and violence, how we are all affected as a whole because of its unwanted influence.
The third and the fourth sections deal with the harmful effects of the caste system, specially of the discrimination and violence faced by the Dalits. The last section deals with how we can end this.
Even though laws are there, it is not easy and practical as it sounds to get support and protection. It will take time. It will take generations and generations to abolish a system which costs lives.
It's books like this which will actually spread awareness and the much needed basic information. The harm is already done more so because of the fact that we aren't as knowledgeable and informed as we think about this issue.
Kudos to the author for this book. If possible, this book needs to be read as a part of our educational syllabus.
Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for the advance reading copy.
And I am quite impressed. Yes, live and let live!
Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for the advance reading copy.
I have been actively searching for a up-to-date adult nonfiction read on Dalit and discrimination towards people of certain caste or community.
This book answered my prayers and I got it right during the time I am really concerned about these issues.
Four main sections with extra parts. I love the presentation and compilation of each part. The book starts with the basic description of how caste exists and the source of it. I do feel this is the part (the first two sections) which is most important.
Even if you don't have much time to read this book cover to cover, please read the first two sections. They have all the basic explanations and answers why and how caste exist.
Beyond that, the book further discuss on how this caste system affect our culture, how it affects gender and violence, how we are all affected as a whole because of its unwanted influence.
The third and the fourth sections deal with the harmful effects of the caste system, specially of the discrimination and violence faced by the Dalits. The last section deals with how we can end this.
Even though laws are there, it is not easy and practical as it sounds to get support and protection. It will take time. It will take generations and generations to abolish a system which costs lives.
It's books like this which will actually spread awareness and the much needed basic information. The harm is already done more so because of the fact that we aren't as knowledgeable and informed as we think about this issue.
Kudos to the author for this book. If possible, this book needs to be read as a part of our educational syllabus.
Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for the advance reading copy.
December 5, 2022
A great introduction to caste for Americans.
Many Hindus in the US will read this, and the lack of specific examples of hidden caste practices is a small missed opportunity for those readers to internalize what it looks like in their lives.
Many Hindus in the US will read this, and the lack of specific examples of hidden caste practices is a small missed opportunity for those readers to internalize what it looks like in their lives.
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November 29, 2022My thanks to North Atlantic Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
In The Trauma of Caste, Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan considers caste discrimination, one of the oldest systems of discrimination in the world, and its horrific and scarring impacts on millions, not only in South Asia with which the system is associated but also amongst the diaspora in America and other parts of the world. The book explores not only the broader impacts of caste discrimination and the various ways it wounds, damages, and breaks its targets, but addresses it at the individual level highlighting how the wounds pass on through generations, the challenges and persistent dangers that the oppressed and indeed wider society continue to be faced with today, and also the journey of healing (not simply the pursuit of justice, though this can be healing too), where spirituality, love, and solidarity play key roles.
The core text of the book is divided into four meditations, structured around the facts and beliefs that caste is an extant truth; that it is a human creation; that there are paths towards freedom or healing; and that the system can be brought to an end. In these meditations, the author considers the fact of caste and the trauma that it gives rise to in the caste oppressed, historical aspects including its treatment in mythology and how it has found its way into or into the practice of even religions which do not in essence accept such divisions, how it plays out in certain areas like the digital space, adds to other factors like gender to exacerbate vulnerability and harm, and also how the system has become replicated even in places not traditionally associated with the system.
In these explorations, the author incorporates her and her family’s own experiences and wounds, and also considers her own path to healing as well as steps that need to be taken to bring and end to this system. Four appendices look into renowned activists and contributors to the Dalit struggle; spiritual aspects; facts on caste violence and socioeconomic indicators; and provide worksheets to address each person’s experience whether from a dominant or oppressed caste.
I became interested in exploring this book essentially because a few months ago I read volume on Dalit studies (a manuscript I copyedited) which provided a detailed look into several issues and aspects concerning the community, from politics and socioeconomic indicators, to the digital space, music and cinema, journalism, and the issue of reparations among others. This was a book that I found very informative and eye-opening, and one aspect it indirectly alerted me to (through a brief discussion by one contributor), and of which I was not at all aware, was caste discrimination amongst the diaspora. So of course, when I came across this book, I was keen to read it.
And indeed, it was these discussions that were most revealing for me. Soundarajan highlights how the caste and related discrimination travelled almost with the first immigrants, with immigrant agricultural labourers in the United States and Canada continuing to practice untouchability (like not eating meals in the same place as Dalit workers) in the early nineteenth century, or how dominant caste immigrants in the early twentieth century argued on grounds of their ‘high’ caste against naturalization laws which excluded them, to more modern day instances including the recent (2020) caste discrimination case in Cisco. On a more personal level, Soundararajan experienced it in her own interactions with other South Asians even when as a child she revealed her caste unwittingly to a friend.
More broadly, the book highlights not only the violence and trauma that the caste oppressed continue to face in South Asia and across the globe, but also how these wounds are really in the nature of soul wounds which continue on, across generations. She also explores the idea of how other issues we face today like environmental damage are related to structural processes of exploitation (an idea also written about by Françoise Vergès in A Feminist Theory of Violence where she argues that no form of violence can be addressed separately from other forms). Soundararajan also encourages her readers to consider their own relationship to caste, the attitudes and ideas for instance one might have imbibed from one’s upbringing or experiences.
I found I learned a lot from this book especially about caste discrimination amongst the immigrant community, and the author’s urging each one of us to consider our own connections and beliefs on caste and also appreciated her sharing her and her family’s story and trauma which wouldn’t have been an easy thing to do.
However, while she talks about healing, paths to end the system of caste, as well as measures like affirmative action or the availability of spaces for Dalits to express their opinions and raise their issues in the digital space for instance, the book overall left me feeling somewhat despairing and bleak. While the issues and challenges that the author highlights are no doubt ones that are significant and need to be urgently addressed, I felt that steps and developments from which one can draw hope of improvement are equally relevant in encouraging the fight against caste and casteism but somehow her critique of these (either their flaws or the challenges that are threatening them) came though more strongly than the hope one can draw from them. Affirmative action/reservation schemes have their shortcomings and may be insufficient as she points out but they have enabled many to improve their socioeconomic position and can be seen as a first step; alternative media and the digital space (as she acknowledges) have enabled Dalit voices to be heard and issues to be raised; Dalit cinema and music have enabled stories to be told; there are small but significant victories against the corporate exploitation of indigenous land like the Niyamgiri case (which upheld tribal rights over their own lands). And we can draw encouragement from these. Also, in her profiles of activists and figures who have contributed to the Dalit struggle, Kanshi Ram (mentioned briefly elsewhere in the text) I felt ought to also have been included with his DS-4 (Dalit Shoshit Samak Sangharsh Samiti) which helped empower and build solidarity among Dalits.
I was glad to have read this book and appreciated much in it; while it does provide both a basic understanding of the issue and the impacts and challenges that need to be addressed, for myself I felt reading the other volume first, which discussed a larger range of themes, highlighting issues and challenges but also hopes and aspirations, helped me contextualize the discussion here better.
3.5 stars
In The Trauma of Caste, Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan considers caste discrimination, one of the oldest systems of discrimination in the world, and its horrific and scarring impacts on millions, not only in South Asia with which the system is associated but also amongst the diaspora in America and other parts of the world. The book explores not only the broader impacts of caste discrimination and the various ways it wounds, damages, and breaks its targets, but addresses it at the individual level highlighting how the wounds pass on through generations, the challenges and persistent dangers that the oppressed and indeed wider society continue to be faced with today, and also the journey of healing (not simply the pursuit of justice, though this can be healing too), where spirituality, love, and solidarity play key roles.
The core text of the book is divided into four meditations, structured around the facts and beliefs that caste is an extant truth; that it is a human creation; that there are paths towards freedom or healing; and that the system can be brought to an end. In these meditations, the author considers the fact of caste and the trauma that it gives rise to in the caste oppressed, historical aspects including its treatment in mythology and how it has found its way into or into the practice of even religions which do not in essence accept such divisions, how it plays out in certain areas like the digital space, adds to other factors like gender to exacerbate vulnerability and harm, and also how the system has become replicated even in places not traditionally associated with the system.
In these explorations, the author incorporates her and her family’s own experiences and wounds, and also considers her own path to healing as well as steps that need to be taken to bring and end to this system. Four appendices look into renowned activists and contributors to the Dalit struggle; spiritual aspects; facts on caste violence and socioeconomic indicators; and provide worksheets to address each person’s experience whether from a dominant or oppressed caste.
I became interested in exploring this book essentially because a few months ago I read volume on Dalit studies (a manuscript I copyedited) which provided a detailed look into several issues and aspects concerning the community, from politics and socioeconomic indicators, to the digital space, music and cinema, journalism, and the issue of reparations among others. This was a book that I found very informative and eye-opening, and one aspect it indirectly alerted me to (through a brief discussion by one contributor), and of which I was not at all aware, was caste discrimination amongst the diaspora. So of course, when I came across this book, I was keen to read it.
And indeed, it was these discussions that were most revealing for me. Soundarajan highlights how the caste and related discrimination travelled almost with the first immigrants, with immigrant agricultural labourers in the United States and Canada continuing to practice untouchability (like not eating meals in the same place as Dalit workers) in the early nineteenth century, or how dominant caste immigrants in the early twentieth century argued on grounds of their ‘high’ caste against naturalization laws which excluded them, to more modern day instances including the recent (2020) caste discrimination case in Cisco. On a more personal level, Soundararajan experienced it in her own interactions with other South Asians even when as a child she revealed her caste unwittingly to a friend.
More broadly, the book highlights not only the violence and trauma that the caste oppressed continue to face in South Asia and across the globe, but also how these wounds are really in the nature of soul wounds which continue on, across generations. She also explores the idea of how other issues we face today like environmental damage are related to structural processes of exploitation (an idea also written about by Françoise Vergès in A Feminist Theory of Violence where she argues that no form of violence can be addressed separately from other forms). Soundararajan also encourages her readers to consider their own relationship to caste, the attitudes and ideas for instance one might have imbibed from one’s upbringing or experiences.
I found I learned a lot from this book especially about caste discrimination amongst the immigrant community, and the author’s urging each one of us to consider our own connections and beliefs on caste and also appreciated her sharing her and her family’s story and trauma which wouldn’t have been an easy thing to do.
However, while she talks about healing, paths to end the system of caste, as well as measures like affirmative action or the availability of spaces for Dalits to express their opinions and raise their issues in the digital space for instance, the book overall left me feeling somewhat despairing and bleak. While the issues and challenges that the author highlights are no doubt ones that are significant and need to be urgently addressed, I felt that steps and developments from which one can draw hope of improvement are equally relevant in encouraging the fight against caste and casteism but somehow her critique of these (either their flaws or the challenges that are threatening them) came though more strongly than the hope one can draw from them. Affirmative action/reservation schemes have their shortcomings and may be insufficient as she points out but they have enabled many to improve their socioeconomic position and can be seen as a first step; alternative media and the digital space (as she acknowledges) have enabled Dalit voices to be heard and issues to be raised; Dalit cinema and music have enabled stories to be told; there are small but significant victories against the corporate exploitation of indigenous land like the Niyamgiri case (which upheld tribal rights over their own lands). And we can draw encouragement from these. Also, in her profiles of activists and figures who have contributed to the Dalit struggle, Kanshi Ram (mentioned briefly elsewhere in the text) I felt ought to also have been included with his DS-4 (Dalit Shoshit Samak Sangharsh Samiti) which helped empower and build solidarity among Dalits.
I was glad to have read this book and appreciated much in it; while it does provide both a basic understanding of the issue and the impacts and challenges that need to be addressed, for myself I felt reading the other volume first, which discussed a larger range of themes, highlighting issues and challenges but also hopes and aspirations, helped me contextualize the discussion here better.
3.5 stars
March 30, 2023
General review: This book is amazing. For years, I have wanted an introduction to what was happening with caste in South Asia, and this book provides a useful summary of the dynamics of caste apartheid and how it impacts the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of Dalits and other marginalized communities. Soundararajan translates her lived experience as a Dalit rights activist and changemaker to create a series of meditations that are grounded in her lived experience and education about the dynamics of her own oppression. Soundararajan’s narrative style also benefits from her engagement when she was much younger (inspired by her father, if I recall correctly; audiobooks don’t have a search feature) with Holocaust testimonies, as I can see clear parallels between the archival materials that document that atrocity with the work that she has written.
I listened to the audiobook, which she herself narrates; that’s always a treat because you get to hear the author’s own emphasis and be closer to them than you would had a third-party individual been narrating. What impressed me the most was how well Soundararajan held her voice level while reading out atrocity statistics or when describing the sexual assault horrors that Dalit women have experienced. I wouldn’t have been able to hold my sh–t together, and indeed listening to this book was so sobering that I had to avoid listening on my morning commute. This is definitely a book to pick up for anyone who wants to be globally aware of important human rights issues.
And now comes the second part of this review, which will probably not be interesting to people outside of the communities named in the section.
Specifically speaking to modern Western polytheists and Neopagans: READ THIS BOOK. Our communities have had — for some years — strong intersections with Hindu groups in the USA, including during festival circuits when HAF used to attend and sometimes present (… if I recall well, in the mid-2010s and earlier. I think it tapered off right around the time of the pandemic or maybe a year or three before). The reason for this is that we are both minority religious communities that share many features, AKA pressure from missionaries and many Gods. However, this occasionally veers into idolization of Hinduism by polytheists and pagans considering its continuous status. We are only now just learning that the pre-game for the horrific conquest of the Americas was the set of crusades directed against non-Christians in (mostly) Europe, with many actions committed that would not be acceptable today, and how easily it was all swept under the rug in favor of a fake “love and forgiveness and voluntary committing to Christ” message.
From our perspective, the missionary pressure in Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and South America is a longitudinal trauma that we don’t want to see visited on their communities — in 1500 years, we don’t want others to be in the situation we’re in now when we have an ancestor hangover and are wondering what the f–k those people we’re descended from did to their spiritual selves that made them think the atrocities of the past 500 years were worth it. As a girl, once my family was outed as pagan (my parents had apostatized from Christianity), I was subject to a lot of sexualized bullying at school (because “pagan girls” are apparently loose and have no morals; “there are no crimes for those who have Christ” as long as the violence you’re doing isn’t to a Christian). As I grew older, I sought sensemaking both in terms of understanding polytheistic theology better (which led me to Neoplatonism) and in learning more about the history of Christianization. I needed to understand why so many people believe in a religious ideology that I see as fundamentally dehumanizing and that, once it gains power, criminalizes the worship of other Gods and the beautiful diversity of religious experience — it’s the exclusivist monotheism that I have issues with in its doctrines and its belief that everyone needs to worship just like them, which is set down in their holy text. Many polytheists and pagans in the United States feel the same way, especially those of us who did not have the privilege of growing up in blue states or blue city enclaves. “Freedom of religion” is guaranteed in the constitution, but it’s often not enforced in red states.
In North Africa, the Near East, and Europe, Christianity entered an area by exploiting existing power dynamics between the oppressed and the oppressors. For instance, in the Roman Empire, its conversion efforts focused on women, slaves, and the lower classes. As soon as it was able to enter places of power, though, it turned on and betrayed the newly-Christianized masses, forced women out of the pulpit, and began enforcing a divine hierarchy system that was even worse than what had existed before — because that hierarchy system led to the Doctrine of Discovery and the idea that anyone non-Christian was outside of their moral obligation. (Emperor Julian knew this and wanted to implement vast social reforms, as outlined in some of his surviving letters, but he was assassinated only a few years after he rose to power; his murderer is still venerated as a saint.) It seems like a basic principle that people interested in fighting evangelism would actually look to historical precedent to see what happened and how to be better — to me, it seems natural that the fewer social issues there are to exploit, the better equipped a culture is to resist proselytizing violence because people are not being mistreated, and the more we can say that their actions come from a place of real, informed choice. It’s crucial to fix inequality.
One of the keys to a polytheistic value system is the belief that everyone has the right to worship the Gods of their heart and that the foundation of divinity is multiplicity. In the Neoplatonic system, to be specific, we have a unity (“the One”) that underlies this proliferation of Gods, and the Gods come into conversation in a top-down way to create all of the beautiful diversity around us. The Gods are actually real, distinct individuals, and how cultures and individuals venerate a God is a conversation that unfolds in time. What’s more, nothing in the universe is absent from the Gods, and it is impossible to call a person spiritually broken. You can never be disconnected from the Gods, only fragmented from yourself; that fragmentation can be healed. The spiritual dehumanization of Dalits is an egregious wrong, and I am morally disgusted. Imagine going before a God and claiming that you will get closer to said God by engaging in apartheid — claiming that the victims deserve it! This is the most enagēs thing.
Even before diving into the Platonic philosophical school, as someone who grew up Neopagan, I thought something was extremely off with the entire concept of someone being spiritually broken. I had vexing and puzzling questions about the dissonance between the messaging I was seeing through those cross-religious networking things that I saw happening and what is actually happening in South Asia and its diaspora communities — and, for me, the crux of the matter was my growing awareness of how Dalits were (and are) being harmed by dominant castes. I remember seeing a news piece about a Dalit man who became a priest and how his joy at being allowed in was made bittersweet by the harassment he faced. Wouldn’t a community that is beset by missionaries welcome more inclusivity? Doesn’t he have the right to a relationship with the God he loves? What was going on? And I saw another news story about a Dalit man who has a devotional practice at home for marginalized and less-known Gods and how beautifully he described his faith. How could people think of someone like that as spiritually defective when he is literally making more spiritual effort than at least 80% of people? Most of the time, I have brought up this issue privately to other polytheists and pagans, and as a whole, I have noticed a strong amount of ignorance among polytheists and pagans about the nuances of South Asian politics — a double ignorance, not a simple one, which is much harder to correct, and which I became more aware of two years ago after reading a Substack post from someone who was commenting on South Asian political complexity. What’s more, many in polytheism and paganism think that casteism is solely a Hindu issue, but even before reading The Trauma of Caste, I knew that casteism existed in other religions in South Asia. And Soundararajan discusses how some of the first caste discrimination incidents in the United States involved the Sikh community.
This entire contextual situation ends up being deeply frustrating from my perspective because, a millennium from now, I imagine there will be people growing up in the same situation of my childhood in more parts of the world, subject to abuse from others for not being Christian or whatever other dominant exclusivist religion is established in an area, and I don’t know what to do because I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. How do we move forward as a species and heal spiritually so that there is a broad recognition that the Gods are good and that it’s OK to worship who you want to worship without pressure, that nobody should be belittled and gaslit into thinking that they don’t have an intimate and innate connection to the Gods? The oppressive systems we construct around our spiritual practices are just as bad as literally sh–tting in a God’s offering bowl. Why are people so resistant to waking up to how wrong injustice is?
To address my simple-ignorance frustration and my desire to actually know more about how to read this challenging room we’re all in, I decided to pick up The Trauma of Caste. I wanted to hear (literally, I listened to the audiobook — she has a constitution of steel from how well she held her voice level when reading those sobering statistics about anti-Dalit violence) from someone who has lived personal experience that I can learn from while thinking about these complex questions.
Soundararajan begins by discussing how she learned she was Dalit in the wake of news coverage of a chemical explosion disaster in South Asia where most victims were Dalits. She discusses how her parents moved to America to hide from caste and how their careers and life choices were built so they could avoid being found out. They were Dalit Christians and went to the Hindu temple and were active in it so they could avoid suspicion of being Dalit — they hid their Christian shrine in a closet and prayed with the curtains closed. I appreciated this anecdote because I had no idea that Christianity is Dalit-coded in India even though I know that many Dalits (and women from all backgrounds) do convert out of Hinduism to escape oppression (much like, in that long preface, people did in Late Antiquity before getting screwed over by the elites after they converted). I just thought it was more frequently a conversion to Buddhism. I’ve seen a lot of the conversation about predatory missionaries in India, and all of those conversations completely omit the spiritual abuse that drives people into this situation — because then, I suspect, other groups would have to own up to the fact that they were the abusers and thus hold responsibility/culpability for the situation just as much as the missionaries. Later on in the book, Soundararajan discusses her conversion to Buddhism, its liberating qualities, and its potential as a spiritual bedrock for social justice movements.
The statistics she shared about anti-Dalit violence and the length of time this has been going on are terrible. Entire villages massacred and lives being treated like nothing — that is on a scale similar to what Christianity did to the holdouts who refused to convert. She has a constitution of steel for being able to read out those violence statistics with a level voice in this audiobook. I feel more kinship with her than with higher-caste Hindus (the ones who seem to often say hi to pagans and polytheists because they’re on temple boards and thus get invited to pagan interfaith events sometimes) based on my own lived experience, and this book left me thinking that many white polytheists are being manipulated. There have to be organizations that are against missionary violence that aren’t also engaging in casteism. I was taken aback by the extent of the violence against Dalits, as I don’t think enough of it makes its way into the media.
She said something similar about higher-caste individuals that I say about who does (in)justice versus to whom it is done. The situation is harmful for both parties, and it’s really on the people who are in that position of power to take the initiative and stop hiding from the convenient lies that keep them in their cushy places. In the Platonic system, the suffering of generation is perpetuated with the choice of lives on the Meadow. The one committing injustice and the one to whom the injustice is done oscillate from lifetime to lifetime until somebody snaps out of the madness and realizes that the person who is capable of injustice is also capable of stopping the violence and saying “we’re not doing this anymore, I refuse to split apart and be split apart” — that is the seed of real justice and the best offering that we could ever give to the Gods. I came away from this book working through a lot of messy thoughts about the ways in which we profane the Gods through preparing evil deeds as offerings. I ultimately say that we have to stand with Dalits and do what we can. We must support the addition of caste to anti-discrimination codes in the USA, and we must do what we can to support everyone fighting to break cycles of anti-Dalit violence.
There’s so much more to say about every section of the book. It’s such a beautiful work, and this is already such a long review — so I will stop there. I think everyone in the Neopagan and polytheistic movements needs to read this book.
I listened to the audiobook, which she herself narrates; that’s always a treat because you get to hear the author’s own emphasis and be closer to them than you would had a third-party individual been narrating. What impressed me the most was how well Soundararajan held her voice level while reading out atrocity statistics or when describing the sexual assault horrors that Dalit women have experienced. I wouldn’t have been able to hold my sh–t together, and indeed listening to this book was so sobering that I had to avoid listening on my morning commute. This is definitely a book to pick up for anyone who wants to be globally aware of important human rights issues.
And now comes the second part of this review, which will probably not be interesting to people outside of the communities named in the section.
Specifically speaking to modern Western polytheists and Neopagans: READ THIS BOOK. Our communities have had — for some years — strong intersections with Hindu groups in the USA, including during festival circuits when HAF used to attend and sometimes present (… if I recall well, in the mid-2010s and earlier. I think it tapered off right around the time of the pandemic or maybe a year or three before). The reason for this is that we are both minority religious communities that share many features, AKA pressure from missionaries and many Gods. However, this occasionally veers into idolization of Hinduism by polytheists and pagans considering its continuous status. We are only now just learning that the pre-game for the horrific conquest of the Americas was the set of crusades directed against non-Christians in (mostly) Europe, with many actions committed that would not be acceptable today, and how easily it was all swept under the rug in favor of a fake “love and forgiveness and voluntary committing to Christ” message.
From our perspective, the missionary pressure in Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and South America is a longitudinal trauma that we don’t want to see visited on their communities — in 1500 years, we don’t want others to be in the situation we’re in now when we have an ancestor hangover and are wondering what the f–k those people we’re descended from did to their spiritual selves that made them think the atrocities of the past 500 years were worth it. As a girl, once my family was outed as pagan (my parents had apostatized from Christianity), I was subject to a lot of sexualized bullying at school (because “pagan girls” are apparently loose and have no morals; “there are no crimes for those who have Christ” as long as the violence you’re doing isn’t to a Christian). As I grew older, I sought sensemaking both in terms of understanding polytheistic theology better (which led me to Neoplatonism) and in learning more about the history of Christianization. I needed to understand why so many people believe in a religious ideology that I see as fundamentally dehumanizing and that, once it gains power, criminalizes the worship of other Gods and the beautiful diversity of religious experience — it’s the exclusivist monotheism that I have issues with in its doctrines and its belief that everyone needs to worship just like them, which is set down in their holy text. Many polytheists and pagans in the United States feel the same way, especially those of us who did not have the privilege of growing up in blue states or blue city enclaves. “Freedom of religion” is guaranteed in the constitution, but it’s often not enforced in red states.
In North Africa, the Near East, and Europe, Christianity entered an area by exploiting existing power dynamics between the oppressed and the oppressors. For instance, in the Roman Empire, its conversion efforts focused on women, slaves, and the lower classes. As soon as it was able to enter places of power, though, it turned on and betrayed the newly-Christianized masses, forced women out of the pulpit, and began enforcing a divine hierarchy system that was even worse than what had existed before — because that hierarchy system led to the Doctrine of Discovery and the idea that anyone non-Christian was outside of their moral obligation. (Emperor Julian knew this and wanted to implement vast social reforms, as outlined in some of his surviving letters, but he was assassinated only a few years after he rose to power; his murderer is still venerated as a saint.) It seems like a basic principle that people interested in fighting evangelism would actually look to historical precedent to see what happened and how to be better — to me, it seems natural that the fewer social issues there are to exploit, the better equipped a culture is to resist proselytizing violence because people are not being mistreated, and the more we can say that their actions come from a place of real, informed choice. It’s crucial to fix inequality.
One of the keys to a polytheistic value system is the belief that everyone has the right to worship the Gods of their heart and that the foundation of divinity is multiplicity. In the Neoplatonic system, to be specific, we have a unity (“the One”) that underlies this proliferation of Gods, and the Gods come into conversation in a top-down way to create all of the beautiful diversity around us. The Gods are actually real, distinct individuals, and how cultures and individuals venerate a God is a conversation that unfolds in time. What’s more, nothing in the universe is absent from the Gods, and it is impossible to call a person spiritually broken. You can never be disconnected from the Gods, only fragmented from yourself; that fragmentation can be healed. The spiritual dehumanization of Dalits is an egregious wrong, and I am morally disgusted. Imagine going before a God and claiming that you will get closer to said God by engaging in apartheid — claiming that the victims deserve it! This is the most enagēs thing.
Even before diving into the Platonic philosophical school, as someone who grew up Neopagan, I thought something was extremely off with the entire concept of someone being spiritually broken. I had vexing and puzzling questions about the dissonance between the messaging I was seeing through those cross-religious networking things that I saw happening and what is actually happening in South Asia and its diaspora communities — and, for me, the crux of the matter was my growing awareness of how Dalits were (and are) being harmed by dominant castes. I remember seeing a news piece about a Dalit man who became a priest and how his joy at being allowed in was made bittersweet by the harassment he faced. Wouldn’t a community that is beset by missionaries welcome more inclusivity? Doesn’t he have the right to a relationship with the God he loves? What was going on? And I saw another news story about a Dalit man who has a devotional practice at home for marginalized and less-known Gods and how beautifully he described his faith. How could people think of someone like that as spiritually defective when he is literally making more spiritual effort than at least 80% of people? Most of the time, I have brought up this issue privately to other polytheists and pagans, and as a whole, I have noticed a strong amount of ignorance among polytheists and pagans about the nuances of South Asian politics — a double ignorance, not a simple one, which is much harder to correct, and which I became more aware of two years ago after reading a Substack post from someone who was commenting on South Asian political complexity. What’s more, many in polytheism and paganism think that casteism is solely a Hindu issue, but even before reading The Trauma of Caste, I knew that casteism existed in other religions in South Asia. And Soundararajan discusses how some of the first caste discrimination incidents in the United States involved the Sikh community.
This entire contextual situation ends up being deeply frustrating from my perspective because, a millennium from now, I imagine there will be people growing up in the same situation of my childhood in more parts of the world, subject to abuse from others for not being Christian or whatever other dominant exclusivist religion is established in an area, and I don’t know what to do because I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. How do we move forward as a species and heal spiritually so that there is a broad recognition that the Gods are good and that it’s OK to worship who you want to worship without pressure, that nobody should be belittled and gaslit into thinking that they don’t have an intimate and innate connection to the Gods? The oppressive systems we construct around our spiritual practices are just as bad as literally sh–tting in a God’s offering bowl. Why are people so resistant to waking up to how wrong injustice is?
To address my simple-ignorance frustration and my desire to actually know more about how to read this challenging room we’re all in, I decided to pick up The Trauma of Caste. I wanted to hear (literally, I listened to the audiobook — she has a constitution of steel from how well she held her voice level when reading those sobering statistics about anti-Dalit violence) from someone who has lived personal experience that I can learn from while thinking about these complex questions.
Soundararajan begins by discussing how she learned she was Dalit in the wake of news coverage of a chemical explosion disaster in South Asia where most victims were Dalits. She discusses how her parents moved to America to hide from caste and how their careers and life choices were built so they could avoid being found out. They were Dalit Christians and went to the Hindu temple and were active in it so they could avoid suspicion of being Dalit — they hid their Christian shrine in a closet and prayed with the curtains closed. I appreciated this anecdote because I had no idea that Christianity is Dalit-coded in India even though I know that many Dalits (and women from all backgrounds) do convert out of Hinduism to escape oppression (much like, in that long preface, people did in Late Antiquity before getting screwed over by the elites after they converted). I just thought it was more frequently a conversion to Buddhism. I’ve seen a lot of the conversation about predatory missionaries in India, and all of those conversations completely omit the spiritual abuse that drives people into this situation — because then, I suspect, other groups would have to own up to the fact that they were the abusers and thus hold responsibility/culpability for the situation just as much as the missionaries. Later on in the book, Soundararajan discusses her conversion to Buddhism, its liberating qualities, and its potential as a spiritual bedrock for social justice movements.
The statistics she shared about anti-Dalit violence and the length of time this has been going on are terrible. Entire villages massacred and lives being treated like nothing — that is on a scale similar to what Christianity did to the holdouts who refused to convert. She has a constitution of steel for being able to read out those violence statistics with a level voice in this audiobook. I feel more kinship with her than with higher-caste Hindus (the ones who seem to often say hi to pagans and polytheists because they’re on temple boards and thus get invited to pagan interfaith events sometimes) based on my own lived experience, and this book left me thinking that many white polytheists are being manipulated. There have to be organizations that are against missionary violence that aren’t also engaging in casteism. I was taken aback by the extent of the violence against Dalits, as I don’t think enough of it makes its way into the media.
She said something similar about higher-caste individuals that I say about who does (in)justice versus to whom it is done. The situation is harmful for both parties, and it’s really on the people who are in that position of power to take the initiative and stop hiding from the convenient lies that keep them in their cushy places. In the Platonic system, the suffering of generation is perpetuated with the choice of lives on the Meadow. The one committing injustice and the one to whom the injustice is done oscillate from lifetime to lifetime until somebody snaps out of the madness and realizes that the person who is capable of injustice is also capable of stopping the violence and saying “we’re not doing this anymore, I refuse to split apart and be split apart” — that is the seed of real justice and the best offering that we could ever give to the Gods. I came away from this book working through a lot of messy thoughts about the ways in which we profane the Gods through preparing evil deeds as offerings. I ultimately say that we have to stand with Dalits and do what we can. We must support the addition of caste to anti-discrimination codes in the USA, and we must do what we can to support everyone fighting to break cycles of anti-Dalit violence.
There’s so much more to say about every section of the book. It’s such a beautiful work, and this is already such a long review — so I will stop there. I think everyone in the Neopagan and polytheistic movements needs to read this book.
June 8, 2023
“Hearing the stories of Dalit people is a reminder that we must hold human lives higher than systems of faith that would dehumanize them.”
✍️
When you're a part of the urban sphere & obviously an Upper Caste savarna, you're taught to believe that Caste based oppression is a thing of past & if today it exists, it's only among the uneducated village folk.
The Varna system is justified. The practice of untouchability is mentioned in the pages of history books, as something that was abolished by Mahatma Gandhi (& his savior complex) when he gave the name 'Harijans' (children of God) to the Dalits.
Dalit authors in the textbooks are removed. Their contributions minimised.
The 'Reservations' and other affirmative actions are debated with the 'Meritocracy' argument.
But dare you question the system for being casteist.
It took me 21 years to realise & critically examine the micro aggressions and the very subtle & not so subtle changes in the attitudes of my savarna family & people around me, towards people belonging to lower castes.
And reading this book, "The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition" by Thenmozhi Soundararajan, today, 3 years later, has further made me question my internalised biases & the privileges I've enjoyed so far. It's an eye opener & an empowering read.
Casteism is entrenched in both urban & rural spaces and has crossed borders, immigrated to foreign lands and the Brahminical hegemony continues to harm millions.
Thenmozhi critically analyses origin of casteism in South Asia & among the South Asian immigrants, the religions weaponised by the Savarnas, and places of academia, job & online media further deployed to oppress the Dailts.
Sharing her personal experiences as a dalit woman and an activist working with fellow anti caste activists; she emphasises on the need for reflection & unlearning our internalised biases, questioning the system & working collectively to heal from the wounds casteism has inflicted.
And that's why I'll ask you to read this book. No, I implore you to read this, because we need to read Dalit writers more & know their stories. We need to remove our rose tinted glasses & free the society from one of its deadliest poison of Casteism.
“For most savarnas, it’s very easy not to see caste. They avoid reflecting on their privilege. This is not unique to caste-privileged people, of course; all oppressors work in the same way. The shame, the guilt, and the horror of what has been done in service of their privilege make them uncomfortable. They have to block it out. They have to shut down anyone who would bring it forward.”
“Caste is the wound that, left untreated, will ultimately destroy us.”
✍️
When you're a part of the urban sphere & obviously an Upper Caste savarna, you're taught to believe that Caste based oppression is a thing of past & if today it exists, it's only among the uneducated village folk.
The Varna system is justified. The practice of untouchability is mentioned in the pages of history books, as something that was abolished by Mahatma Gandhi (& his savior complex) when he gave the name 'Harijans' (children of God) to the Dalits.
Dalit authors in the textbooks are removed. Their contributions minimised.
The 'Reservations' and other affirmative actions are debated with the 'Meritocracy' argument.
But dare you question the system for being casteist.
It took me 21 years to realise & critically examine the micro aggressions and the very subtle & not so subtle changes in the attitudes of my savarna family & people around me, towards people belonging to lower castes.
And reading this book, "The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition" by Thenmozhi Soundararajan, today, 3 years later, has further made me question my internalised biases & the privileges I've enjoyed so far. It's an eye opener & an empowering read.
Casteism is entrenched in both urban & rural spaces and has crossed borders, immigrated to foreign lands and the Brahminical hegemony continues to harm millions.
Thenmozhi critically analyses origin of casteism in South Asia & among the South Asian immigrants, the religions weaponised by the Savarnas, and places of academia, job & online media further deployed to oppress the Dailts.
Sharing her personal experiences as a dalit woman and an activist working with fellow anti caste activists; she emphasises on the need for reflection & unlearning our internalised biases, questioning the system & working collectively to heal from the wounds casteism has inflicted.
And that's why I'll ask you to read this book. No, I implore you to read this, because we need to read Dalit writers more & know their stories. We need to remove our rose tinted glasses & free the society from one of its deadliest poison of Casteism.
“For most savarnas, it’s very easy not to see caste. They avoid reflecting on their privilege. This is not unique to caste-privileged people, of course; all oppressors work in the same way. The shame, the guilt, and the horror of what has been done in service of their privilege make them uncomfortable. They have to block it out. They have to shut down anyone who would bring it forward.”
“Caste is the wound that, left untreated, will ultimately destroy us.”
October 4, 2023
I learned so, so much from this book. It made me realize how little I know about so many other communities and cultures. It also made me wonder about the Indian media I consume (Never Have I Ever, The Mindy Project, etc.) in which caste is never talked about. Having read this, that now seems so strange to me. It's like having a cast of all Black characters and race never comes up-- how is that possible?? Unless it's because the creators have caste privilege and feel no need to even consider such conversations as important.
I really had to check myself while reading this because I kept thinking how wild the rationalization for different castes is....spiritual impurity?! WTAF! But then I thought about how equally wild racism is based on skin color and came back down to earth.
This is a heavy text; very academic and technical, but necessary. Also Soundararajan has a very soothing voice.
I really had to check myself while reading this because I kept thinking how wild the rationalization for different castes is....spiritual impurity?! WTAF! But then I thought about how equally wild racism is based on skin color and came back down to earth.
This is a heavy text; very academic and technical, but necessary. Also Soundararajan has a very soothing voice.
July 20, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
As someone who is trying to find their place in Hinduism, I found this book enlightening. This is a powerful book that really delves into the realities of life for dalits and the marginalisation of regular people due to inane rules.
It was fascinating to learn about the history of caste and caste based privilege, and then go on to learn about caste discrimination in modern South Asia and the diaspora in the west.
Soundararajan has an eloquent and passionate voice and I recommend this book for anyone interested in the realities of Hinduism.
As someone who is trying to find their place in Hinduism, I found this book enlightening. This is a powerful book that really delves into the realities of life for dalits and the marginalisation of regular people due to inane rules.
It was fascinating to learn about the history of caste and caste based privilege, and then go on to learn about caste discrimination in modern South Asia and the diaspora in the west.
Soundararajan has an eloquent and passionate voice and I recommend this book for anyone interested in the realities of Hinduism.
January 31, 2023
Enlightened, heavy, and vital.
February 10, 2024
Poetic meditation on how Brahminism intersects with carcerality, sexual violence, environmental racism, and other forms of institutional violence as well as how caste violence manifests in different religious faiths outside of Hinduism (and the unique Dalit religious traditions that came out of this). A very sobering read about the gratuitous, quotidian violence Dalits and others caste oppressed people experience.
Only problem I have with the book is I am unsure what it looks like to end or struggle against caste apartheid outside of changing social relations in our daily lives. I also did not like the comparisons to the Holocaust and South African apartheid. The author was clearly misinformed on the histories of both (for example, when she mentioned the "success" of post-Holocaust de-Nazification in Germany as a model to follow).
Only problem I have with the book is I am unsure what it looks like to end or struggle against caste apartheid outside of changing social relations in our daily lives. I also did not like the comparisons to the Holocaust and South African apartheid. The author was clearly misinformed on the histories of both (for example, when she mentioned the "success" of post-Holocaust de-Nazification in Germany as a model to follow).
June 15, 2023
Hate group started based off false victimhood narratives. Why wouldn’t she wish Diwali or Navroz or Hanukkah and only Ramadan as part of “Equality Labs “ high time these divisive thugs who aim to feed hatred meanwhile gulping down millions of dollars of DEI money
March 26, 2024
I was only supposed to read a few chapters for class but i ended up finishing the whole book in one sitting. This is the south asian treatise on equality I needed to actually understand both America and my place in it, which all the unnamed and unknown histories I carry.
August 3, 2023
This was a heavy, but necessary read. The author does an incredible job not only exploring the roots and history of casteism and Brahminism, but also sheds light on how insidious and systemic it is in current society in various sectors (politics, economics, education, health, and so on) but also beautifully discusses the spiritual violence that comes with Brahminism. This is definitely allowed me to reflect on my own positionality and unlearn ideas and beliefs I held about caste and Hinduism. This is definitely a book I will read time and again!
April 6, 2023
This is hard for me to admit, but I think it is necessary to share. This book was very hard for me to read.
I am a Pakistani Muslim, and my ancestors are from the merchant and farming classes. However, this was never emphasized to me growing up. Economic status and education are important, sure, but I can count on a single hand the number of times caste was mentioned in my life, and at least a couple of those instances was me raising the question. Hence, on my experience caste never (I repeat, NEVER) came up except maybe as a follow-on might ask when considering a suitable marital prospect for their kid. My mother remarked how when she was younger they had Christian (likely Dalit) cleaners just to clean their toilets, and recalling it brought her great shame.
I do know some Pakistani people put far more weight in caste than others, but I would have never thought I was conditioned around caste supremacy. Islam, I was told, was the equalizer and all is well.
To add more context: I consider myself non prejudiced and as a mindfulness practitioner am very interested in the works of those like Rhonda McGee who are renegotiating racial supremacy from an embodied standpoint.
All that said…it was this book that made me realize that I and others of my background likely have some very, very deep work to do around this. I won’t share specifically what it is bringing up as it is too private and triggering to those oppressed by this system. But I was not able to finish reading it. I don’t know what to attribute it to besides subliminal messaging and perhaps inter-generational elements. I am also wondering if it is some equivalent to “smoking kills” campaigns and why they don’t work…because it is pointing to something i was not conscious of it is bringing up prejudiced tendencies in me I would not have experienced otherwise? I share this perspective not to say T.S. Should not have written this book but just to enlist another possible explanation from a purely psychological viewpoint.
So this is not a review so much as a reflection that this book likely is doing what it intended to.It is only now I am starting to understand how being an active ally is truly difficult work that involves unearthing elements we were not aware of. Even if I don’t end up finishing it now, I do intend to visit the Appendix with he somatic practices.
I am a Pakistani Muslim, and my ancestors are from the merchant and farming classes. However, this was never emphasized to me growing up. Economic status and education are important, sure, but I can count on a single hand the number of times caste was mentioned in my life, and at least a couple of those instances was me raising the question. Hence, on my experience caste never (I repeat, NEVER) came up except maybe as a follow-on might ask when considering a suitable marital prospect for their kid. My mother remarked how when she was younger they had Christian (likely Dalit) cleaners just to clean their toilets, and recalling it brought her great shame.
I do know some Pakistani people put far more weight in caste than others, but I would have never thought I was conditioned around caste supremacy. Islam, I was told, was the equalizer and all is well.
To add more context: I consider myself non prejudiced and as a mindfulness practitioner am very interested in the works of those like Rhonda McGee who are renegotiating racial supremacy from an embodied standpoint.
All that said…it was this book that made me realize that I and others of my background likely have some very, very deep work to do around this. I won’t share specifically what it is bringing up as it is too private and triggering to those oppressed by this system. But I was not able to finish reading it. I don’t know what to attribute it to besides subliminal messaging and perhaps inter-generational elements. I am also wondering if it is some equivalent to “smoking kills” campaigns and why they don’t work…because it is pointing to something i was not conscious of it is bringing up prejudiced tendencies in me I would not have experienced otherwise? I share this perspective not to say T.S. Should not have written this book but just to enlist another possible explanation from a purely psychological viewpoint.
So this is not a review so much as a reflection that this book likely is doing what it intended to.It is only now I am starting to understand how being an active ally is truly difficult work that involves unearthing elements we were not aware of. Even if I don’t end up finishing it now, I do intend to visit the Appendix with he somatic practices.
September 19, 2022
Miigweetch NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
This is a non-fiction account of casteism, told from the perspective of a Dalit woman, a member of the so-called “untouchable” caste. It's the author’s response to the inter-generational pain of caste and explores ideas for how society can separate, and ultimately heal, from this violence.
During quarantine, one of my go-to background noise TV shows was “Indian Matchmaking”, a reality show that spanned for two seasons and focused on the efforts of an arranged matchmaker working with young Indian singles living both in Indian and America. In trying to learn more about the culture I was seeing portrayed on the show, I stumbled onto many discussions of caste, which is what drew me to this book and led me to requesting it.
I am extremely grateful to the author for sharing her experiences, at great personal expense to herself and her safety. Being an activist for Dalit causes - which live in direct opposition to the barbaric idea of casteism - comes at a cost.
This book is trying to be a lot of things to a lot of people: a feminist meditation on how to heal cycles of inter-generational trauma, an introductory course to caste and Brahmanism, and much more. At times the structure and flow buckle under the weight of these expectations, nevertheless, more conversations about caste need to be happening in order for change to occur. For that reason I believe this is an incredibly necessary and important work.
The idea of spiritual sanctioned slavery is shocking to me; I simply could not believe how ubiquitous caste is even among the South-East Asian diaspora and how rarely talked it’s about. The fact that people are being trafficked and sold into slavery in the United States of America in 2022 because of caste, can be denied work because of caste, and yet our laws offer no protections against this discrimination because caste is not named? This must change.
This is a non-fiction account of casteism, told from the perspective of a Dalit woman, a member of the so-called “untouchable” caste. It's the author’s response to the inter-generational pain of caste and explores ideas for how society can separate, and ultimately heal, from this violence.
During quarantine, one of my go-to background noise TV shows was “Indian Matchmaking”, a reality show that spanned for two seasons and focused on the efforts of an arranged matchmaker working with young Indian singles living both in Indian and America. In trying to learn more about the culture I was seeing portrayed on the show, I stumbled onto many discussions of caste, which is what drew me to this book and led me to requesting it.
I am extremely grateful to the author for sharing her experiences, at great personal expense to herself and her safety. Being an activist for Dalit causes - which live in direct opposition to the barbaric idea of casteism - comes at a cost.
This book is trying to be a lot of things to a lot of people: a feminist meditation on how to heal cycles of inter-generational trauma, an introductory course to caste and Brahmanism, and much more. At times the structure and flow buckle under the weight of these expectations, nevertheless, more conversations about caste need to be happening in order for change to occur. For that reason I believe this is an incredibly necessary and important work.
The idea of spiritual sanctioned slavery is shocking to me; I simply could not believe how ubiquitous caste is even among the South-East Asian diaspora and how rarely talked it’s about. The fact that people are being trafficked and sold into slavery in the United States of America in 2022 because of caste, can be denied work because of caste, and yet our laws offer no protections against this discrimination because caste is not named? This must change.
Read
April 27, 2023With poignant prose and a clear-eyed examination of the devastating effects of caste apartheid, “Trauma of Caste” is a meditation on the "soul wound" inflicted on generations of marginalized communities. Dalit rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan compels readers to abandon the compartmentalization of caste-based trauma and instead commit to healing. She explains that unlearning caste is not a one-time process but, instead, a practice.
Soundararajan implores and guides readers through acknowledging the existence of caste, its source, and ways to combat caste violence. She challenges the notion that the diaspora ended casteism, exposing how caste underlies the prevalence of upper-caste influencers, promoters of "Tamil Brahmin" pride, and religious practices across Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity. Soundararajan goes on to explore the intersections of caste with gender and sexual violence, environment, genocide, as well as the parallels between caste apartheid and slavery in the U.S.
“Trauma of Caste” is a powerful, thought-provoking, and much needed book that combines theoretical analysis with practical insights. Soundararajan’s personal experiences add depth and nuance to the work, making it an important read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of casteism and its impact on individuals and our society. Soundararajan’s dedication to this issue exemplifies the definition she puts forward: that while one definition of “dalit*” is broken, it can be also be read as “resilience.”
Soundararajan implores and guides readers through acknowledging the existence of caste, its source, and ways to combat caste violence. She challenges the notion that the diaspora ended casteism, exposing how caste underlies the prevalence of upper-caste influencers, promoters of "Tamil Brahmin" pride, and religious practices across Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity. Soundararajan goes on to explore the intersections of caste with gender and sexual violence, environment, genocide, as well as the parallels between caste apartheid and slavery in the U.S.
“Trauma of Caste” is a powerful, thought-provoking, and much needed book that combines theoretical analysis with practical insights. Soundararajan’s personal experiences add depth and nuance to the work, making it an important read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of casteism and its impact on individuals and our society. Soundararajan’s dedication to this issue exemplifies the definition she puts forward: that while one definition of “dalit*” is broken, it can be also be read as “resilience.”
May 14, 2023
Powerful and informative beginning, but very rambly at the end. The appendices could have served as online resources or been more woven into the body of the book, and I didn’t see the need for both a foreword and afterword
April 25, 2023
Was not what I thought it was going to be.
January 20, 2024
Up front I have to say I rounded up from 3 1/2 stars because of the importance of this topic, especially for anyone interested in or currently practicing or teaching yoga. The subtitle pretty much defines this book: "A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition." For those unfamiliar with the term, Dalit is the most common name used by those of whom Brahmanism (a supremacist ideology that permeates Indian/Hindu culture) declared as "untouchable." The word means "broken" as in broken by the millennia of suffering caused by caste, as the book jacket describes it: "the world's oldest, longest-running dominator system." It is also important to understand that "dalit" also means resilient, and the resilience of so many individuals and groups over the centuries, to withstand the horrendous oppression of Brahmanism cannot be understated.
For western yoga practitioners and teachers, the oldest of us most likely introduced to yoga by the "titans" such as Iyengar, Jois, Sivananda, and Krishnamacharya were all brahmins and so imparted a sanitized version of Hindu Yoga traditions, whitewashing the horrors of caste. As one example, the famous verse from the Bhagavad Gita (18.47) that says one should do one's self-dharma even if poorly rather than that of another well is often presented as something akin to "follow your bliss" when in actuality it is insisting on caste duty. Perhaps you might want to read what the great caste abolitionist, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had to say about the caste propaganda propagated in that text:
https://velivada.com/2018/03/07/caste...
When I heard the author, Thenmozhi Soundararajan on the Conspirituality Podcast tell us that she was raised to believe that she was born a Dalit because she must have done some vile, horrible things in a past life and how it made her constantly question what it could have been I imagined all the little children of the oppressed castes believing they deserved to be downtrodden. There are places still in India where Dalits are not allowed access to community resources such as water! And when I heard her say that Hindu texts tell of how an untouchable should have molten lead poured into their ears if they inadvertently hear a Vedic chant, I understood how traumatic it can be for a Dalit in America taking a yoga class from some western teacher chanting the Gayatri Mantra.
Before reading this book, I had thought caste was only a blight upon Indian society, but hadn't realized that so many Indians here in America are Dalit. As Dr Ambedkar points out, almost 85% of Indians are prohibited to read their Hindu sacred texts or participate in worship. In many places, temples are off-limits to Dalits so perhaps even most of the Indians who have immigrated to the US are of the oppressed castes. Soundararajan writes that the tech industry is rife with caste discrimination! She shares that Dalits from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and other Silicon Valley companies have come forward with reports of discrimination, bullying, ostracization, and sexual harassment by higher-caste Indian colleagues!
Soundararajan writes of the cynical manipulation of Ghandi who threatened to fast to the death as a protest of the Communal Aware in 1932 that was designed to address the issues of caste inequality by creating separate electorates for dominant castes, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and caste oppressed communities. Gandhi, fearing it would destroy Hindu society went on his fast which was then "used to sanitize his image in the West as a savior for Dalits, when in fact he weaponized fasting to diminish the political participation of Dalits." Ambedkar's seminal book, Annihilation of Caste sharply criticized Gandhi's caste views. In 1955, Ambedkar, in a BBC interview, made public Gandhi's hypocrisy in opposing the caste system in English-language papers while simultaneously supporting it in Gujarati-language papers.
Over the last 15 - 20 years a deeper, more historical and critical scholarship on yoga has mushroomed, breaking through so much of the romantic and white-washed mythos we were spoon fed by those early Brahmin yoga 'gurus.' Trauma of Caste is yet another needed corrective that I would love more teacher trainings included.
For western yoga practitioners and teachers, the oldest of us most likely introduced to yoga by the "titans" such as Iyengar, Jois, Sivananda, and Krishnamacharya were all brahmins and so imparted a sanitized version of Hindu Yoga traditions, whitewashing the horrors of caste. As one example, the famous verse from the Bhagavad Gita (18.47) that says one should do one's self-dharma even if poorly rather than that of another well is often presented as something akin to "follow your bliss" when in actuality it is insisting on caste duty. Perhaps you might want to read what the great caste abolitionist, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had to say about the caste propaganda propagated in that text:
https://velivada.com/2018/03/07/caste...
When I heard the author, Thenmozhi Soundararajan on the Conspirituality Podcast tell us that she was raised to believe that she was born a Dalit because she must have done some vile, horrible things in a past life and how it made her constantly question what it could have been I imagined all the little children of the oppressed castes believing they deserved to be downtrodden. There are places still in India where Dalits are not allowed access to community resources such as water! And when I heard her say that Hindu texts tell of how an untouchable should have molten lead poured into their ears if they inadvertently hear a Vedic chant, I understood how traumatic it can be for a Dalit in America taking a yoga class from some western teacher chanting the Gayatri Mantra.
Before reading this book, I had thought caste was only a blight upon Indian society, but hadn't realized that so many Indians here in America are Dalit. As Dr Ambedkar points out, almost 85% of Indians are prohibited to read their Hindu sacred texts or participate in worship. In many places, temples are off-limits to Dalits so perhaps even most of the Indians who have immigrated to the US are of the oppressed castes. Soundararajan writes that the tech industry is rife with caste discrimination! She shares that Dalits from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and other Silicon Valley companies have come forward with reports of discrimination, bullying, ostracization, and sexual harassment by higher-caste Indian colleagues!
Soundararajan writes of the cynical manipulation of Ghandi who threatened to fast to the death as a protest of the Communal Aware in 1932 that was designed to address the issues of caste inequality by creating separate electorates for dominant castes, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and caste oppressed communities. Gandhi, fearing it would destroy Hindu society went on his fast which was then "used to sanitize his image in the West as a savior for Dalits, when in fact he weaponized fasting to diminish the political participation of Dalits." Ambedkar's seminal book, Annihilation of Caste sharply criticized Gandhi's caste views. In 1955, Ambedkar, in a BBC interview, made public Gandhi's hypocrisy in opposing the caste system in English-language papers while simultaneously supporting it in Gujarati-language papers.
Over the last 15 - 20 years a deeper, more historical and critical scholarship on yoga has mushroomed, breaking through so much of the romantic and white-washed mythos we were spoon fed by those early Brahmin yoga 'gurus.' Trauma of Caste is yet another needed corrective that I would love more teacher trainings included.
August 24, 2023
சர்வதேச அளவில் சாதி பற்றிய உரையாடல்களும் புரிதல்களும் சாதிக்கு எதிரான குரல்களும் நாளுக்கு நாள் அதிகரித்த வண்ணமே உள்ளது. இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் Isabel Wilkerson ‘Caste The Origin of our Discontents’ என்றொரு நூலை எழுதி இருந்தார். சாதி பற்றிய உரையாடலை இந்நூல் நிறவெறியோடு ஒப்பிட்டு வேறொரு தளத்திற்கு இட்டு சென்றது. Oxford india Short Introduction seriesல் Surinder S. Jodhkaவின் சாதி குறித்தான நூலும் இந்த வகையில் முக்கியத்துவம் வாய்ந்தது எனலாம். இந்த நூல்கள் எல்லாம் சாதி பற்றிய அறிமுகத்தை அல்லது சர்வதேச அளவில் நடந்த ஒடுக்குமுறைகளுடனான ஒரு ஒப்பீட்டை ஏற்படுத்தும் அளவிலேயே அமைந்திருக்கும். Suraj Yengdeவின் ‘Caste Matters’ நூலும் சாதியின் சிக்கலை பேசும் ஒன்று தான். ஆனால் சாதியின் சிக்கலையும் அது அகம் சார்ந்து ஏற்படுத்தும் வடுக்களையும் அதை எதிர்க��ண்டு அதிலிருந்து விடுபடுவதற்கான வழிமுறைகளையும் தலித் பெண்ணிய பார்வையில் இருந்து பேசும் நூல் தான் தேன்மொழி சௌந்தரராஜன் எழுதி இருக்கும் ‘The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition ’.
உளவியல் ரீதியாக சாதி ஏற்படுத்தும் வடு(Trauma ) என்பது மிக மோசமான விளைவுகளை ஒரு மனிதனுக்குள் ஏற்படுத்தவல்லது. அதுவும் ஒடுக்கப்பட்ட பின்புலத்தில் இருந்து வரும் ஒருவன்/வள் தலைமுறை தலைமுறையாக சாதியால் வஞ்சிக்கப்படுகிறான்/ள். அவனுக்கு முந்தைய தலைமுறையில் வடுவையும் சேர்த்து அவன்/ள் சுமக்க வேண்டியுள்ளது இதிலிருந்து தன்னை விடுவித்துக்கொள்ள அவன்/ள் சுதந்திரத்தை தேடி அலையவேண்டியுள்ளது. ஆன்மீக(Spiritual ) ரிதியாக ஒடுக்குமுறைக்கு(caste) உள்ளாக்கப்பட்ட மனிதர்களுக்கு அதே ஆன்மீக ரீதியிலான தீர்வுகள் நிம்மதியை தரவலல்லது என்கிறார் இந்நூல் ஆசிரியர். அயோத்திதாசர், அம்பேத்கர் போன்ற தலைவர்களின் பௌத்தம் சார்ந்த ஆன்மீக தேடலும் மதமாற்றமும் இதற்கொரு சான்று.
இந்நூலில் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள வார்த்தை பிரியோகங்கள் சாதி சார்ந்த உரையாடலில் முக்கியமானவை, Caste System என்பதற்கு பதில் Caste Apartheid என்ற வார்த்தையே பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. அதை போலவே சாதி ஒழிப்புக்கு இணையான ஆங்கில வார்த்தையாக Caste Abolition என்ற் வார்த்தையை பயன்படுத்துகிறார். சாதியை மொத்தமாக ஒழிக்கவேண்டும் என்பது தான் இதன் அர்த்தம். Annihilation என்ற சொல்லை விட Abolition என்ற சொல் பொருந்தி போவதாகவே தெரிகிறது.
இவை எல்லாம் இந்நூல் ஆசிரியரின் Afro-அமெரிக்க விடுதலை இயக்கங்களின் தொடர்பாலும் அவற்றில் இருந்து பெற்ற படிப்பினையாலும் பயன்படுத்த பட்ட ஒன்று என்றே தெரிகிறது. மேலும் நிறவெறியோடு சாதியை ஒப்பிட்டு நோக்குவது மகாத்மா புலே காலம் தொட்டு இருந்துவரும் மரபு தான். இதுபோன்ற சர்வதேச அளவிலான ஒடுக்குமுறைகளோடு சாதிய ஒடுக்குமுறைகளை ஒப்பிட்டு நோக்குவது ஒடுக்குமுறையின் அளவீடுகளை அறிய உதவும். மேலும் சாதி போன்ற ஒரு மாபெரும் மக்கள் திரள் சந்திக்கும் வடுவை(Trauma) சர்வதேச அளவில் முக்கிய பிரச்சனையாக முன்னிறுத்த இதுபோன்ற வார்த்தை பிரியோகங்கள் நிச்சயம் உதவும் எனலாம்.
‘Whitewashing Caste - How Indian immigrants used religion and caste to naturalise as White in the US’ என்று தலைப்பிடப்பட்ட கட்டுரை 2023 பிப்ரவரி மாத Caravan இதழில் வெளியாகி இருந்தது. இந்த சிக்கல் இந்நூலிலும் விரிவாக பேசப்பட்டு இருக்கிறது. அமெரிக்காவில் நிறவெறிக்கு எதிரான சட்டங்கள் வரும் முன்பு இந்தியாவில் இருந்து சென்ற இந்தியர்கள் தங்களை எப்படி எ���்லாம் வெள்ளையர்களாக காட்டிக்கொள்ள முயன்றார்கள் என்பதை இந்நூலின் ஒரு பகுதியில் பேசுகிறார். பார்ப்பனர்கள் தங்களை ஆரிய இனத்தை சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்று கூறி வெள்ளை இனத்தை சேர்தவராக தங்களை முன்னிறுத்தி கொள்ள முயன்றுள்ளனர். ஆனால் பலருக்கு இது சாத்தியப்படவில்லை. ஒரு கட்டத்தில் இந்தியர்கள் அனைவரும் இரண்டாம்தர குடிகள் என்று முடிவானது. நிறவெறிக்கு எதிரான சட்டம் இயற்றப்படும் வரை இந்த நிலையே தொடர்ந்தது. இதன் பின்னர் அங்கும் சாதி சார்ந்த பாகுபாடுகள் தெற்காசியர்களிடையே அதிகளவில் பின்பற்றப்பட்டது. பார்ப்பனர்களின் அதிகளவிலான வெளிநாட்டு இடப்பெயர்வு இந்த போக்குக்கு வினையூக்கியாக அமைந்தது. சர்வதேச தகவல் தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனங்களின் உச்ச பொறுப்புகளில் அமர்ந்துகொண்டு மிக நுணுக்கமான சாதியத்தை பார்ப்பனர்கள் இன்றுவரை கடைபிடித்து வருவதையும் அதற்கு எதிராக அமெரிக்காவில் இன்றைக்கு பல போராட்டங்கள் நடப்பதையும் விளக்கமாக நமக்கு பகிர்கிறார் தேன்மொழி சௌந்தரராஜன்.
இந்நூல் ஒரு உரையாடலை வாசகருடன் நிகழ்த்துகிறது, அந்த உரையாடல் தலித் பெண்ணியர் ஒருவரது பார்வையில் இருந்து வெளிப்படும் ஒன்றாக இருக்கிறது. இந்த உரையாடல் யாரையும் அந்நியப்படுத்தவில்லை. ஒடுக்குபவரும் ஒடுக்கப்படுபவரும் சேர்த்து தான் சாதியை முற்றிலுமாக அழித்தொழிக்கமுடியும் என்ற இவரது பார்வை கவனிக்கத்தக்கது. இது எந்த தனி நபரையும் எதிராக நிறுத்தாமல் சாதியை அதன் மூலம் ஏற்ப்படும் கொடுமைகளை எதிராக நிறுத்துகிறது. Pedagogy of the oppressed என்ற கோட்பாட்டினை இந்நூல் உள்வாங்கியே இருக்கிறது.
தெற்காசிய மதங்களிலும் தெற்காசியர்கள் செல்லும் இடங்களிலும் சாதி எப்படி ஊடுருவி பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது என்பதை மிக தெளிவாகவே பேசியுள்ளார் இந்நூலில். தன்னை ஒரு பௌத்தராக முன்னிறுத்திக்கொண்டாலும் இலங்கையில் சிங்கள பௌத்த இனவாதத்தை விமர்சிக்கவே செய்கிறார். சாதியும் இனமும் மனிதாபிமானமற்றவர்களாக (Dehumanized)மனிதர்களை மாற்றியுள்ளது. இவரை மனிதர்களை தனிமைப்படுத்தவே முயல்கிறது. இதற்கு எதிராக மனிதாபிமானம்(Humanity) நிறைந்த ஒரு கூட்டமைப்பை ஒற்றுமையை போதிக்கும் ஒன்றாக நாம் அனைவரும் சேர்ந்து நிறுவவேண்டும் என்கிறார். அதற்கு அவரவர் சந்தித்த ஒடுக்குமுறைகளை, சமூகத்தில் தங்களது சாதியின் நிலையை, அது பற்றிய புரிதலை முந்தை தலைமுறை அனுபவித்த கொடுமைகளை பற்றி எல்லாம் தெரிந்துகொள்ள வேண்டியது அவசியம் என்கிறார். இதை எல்லாம் உணர்ந்த பிறகு சாதிக்கு எதிரான ஒரு மனநிலையை உருவாக்கி கொண்டு அதை எதிர்கொள்ளும் உத்வேகத்தை பெற்று அதற்கெதிரான செயல்பாடுகளில் இறங்கவேண்டும் என்பது இவரது செயல்திட்டமாக இருக்கிறது.
சாதி போன்ற ஒரு ஆன்மீக(Spiritual) அதே நேரத்தில் பொருளியல்(Material) ஒடுக்குமுறையை எதிர்கொள்ள ஆன்மீக/அறிவியல் தேடலை முன்வைக்கிறார். அதற்கு நாத்தீகம், பௌத்தம், கிறித்துவம் போன்ற ஆன்மீக/ அறிவியல் நிம்மதி தரும் மதங்களை இவர் அகம் சார்ந்த தீர்வாக முன்வைக்கிறார். சாதி போன்ற மனிதமற்ற ஒரு வடுவில் இருந்து விடுவித்து கொள்ளை மனிதம் நிறைந்த ஒரு தேடல் அவசியமாகிறது. பகுத்தறிவு பேசுவோருக்கு அது அறிவியல் தேடலாக இருக்கிறது . மற்றவர்களுக்கு அது ஆன்மீக தேடலாகவே உள்ளது. அகம் சார்ந்த விடுதலையை அடைய இதுபோன்ற தேடல்கள் அவசியம் என்கிறார்.
நூலின் இறுதியில் பின் இணைப்பாக சாதியை அழித்தொழிக்க போராடிய முன்னோடி தலைவர்களை நினைவு கூறும் விதமாக அவர்களை பற்றிய சிறு குறிப்பு இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது. அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர், பெரியார், மகாத்மா புலே, சாவித���ரிபாய் புலே, அயோத்திதாசர், அய்யன்காளி, பூலான் தேவி, ரவிதாஸர், ஜோகேந்திரநாத் மண்டல் போன்ற தலைவர்கள் இதில் அடங்குவர்.
அடுத்த பின் இணைப்பாக தான் பின்பற்றிவரும் பௌத்தம் குறித்தும் அதில் தான் மேற்கொள்ளும் தியான முறைகள் குறித்தும் இதுபோன்ற ஒடுக்குமுறைகளுக்கு அது எத்தகைய அகம் சார்ந்த தீர்வுகளை வழங்குகிறது என்பதை பற்றியும் பேசுகிறார்.
இந்நூல் சாதியில் வடுவில் இருந்து விடுபட நினைப்பவர்களுக்கு ஒரு Workbook போல் தான் இருக்கிறது. சாதி குறித்த அனைத்து பரிமாணங்கள் பற்றியும் ஏதோ ஒரு வகையிலான அறிமுகத்தை நமக்கு வழங்குகிறது. அமெரிக்காவில் குடியுரிமை பெற்ற ஒரு இந்தியர் தனது வேர்களை தேடி அது மனிதத்தன்மை அற்ற ஒன்றாக இருப்பதை அறிந்து அதற்கான தீர்வுகளை முன்வைக்க ஒரு நூல் எழுதுவதெல்லாம் அரிதான செயல். அப்படியான ஒன்றை சாத்தியப்படுத்தி இருக்கிறார் தேன்மொழி சௌந்தரராஜன்.
தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பை வேண்டி நிற்கும் முக்கியமான ஆங்கில நூல்களில் பட்டியலில் இந்நூலை முதல் ஐந்திடங்களில் அடக்கலாம். சாத்தியப்படும் என்று நம்புவோமாக. வாய்ப்பிருக்கும் நண்பர்கள் அவசியம் வாசிக்கவும்.
உளவியல் ரீதியாக சாதி ஏற்படுத்தும் வடு(Trauma ) என்பது மிக மோசமான விளைவுகளை ஒரு மனிதனுக்குள் ஏற்படுத்தவல்லது. அதுவும் ஒடுக்கப்பட்ட பின்புலத்தில் இருந்து வரும் ஒருவன்/வள் தலைமுறை தலைமுறையாக சாதியால் வஞ்சிக்கப்படுகிறான்/ள். அவனுக்கு முந்தைய தலைமுறையில் வடுவையும் சேர்த்து அவன்/ள் சுமக்க வேண்டியுள்ளது இதிலிருந்து தன்னை விடுவித்துக்கொள்ள அவன்/ள் சுதந்திரத்தை தேடி அலையவேண்டியுள்ளது. ஆன்மீக(Spiritual ) ரிதியாக ஒடுக்குமுறைக்கு(caste) உள்ளாக்கப்பட்ட மனிதர்களுக்கு அதே ஆன்மீக ரீதியிலான தீர்வுகள் நிம்மதியை தரவலல்லது என்கிறார் இந்நூல் ஆசிரியர். அயோத்திதாசர், அம்பேத்கர் போன்ற தலைவர்களின் பௌத்தம் சார்ந்த ஆன்மீக தேடலும் மதமாற்றமும் இதற்கொரு சான்று.
இந்நூலில் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள வார்த்தை பிரியோகங்கள் சாதி சார்ந்த உரையாடலில் முக்கியமானவை, Caste System என்பதற்கு பதில் Caste Apartheid என்ற வார்த்தையே பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. அதை போலவே சாதி ஒழிப்புக்கு இணையான ஆங்கில வார்த்தையாக Caste Abolition என்ற் வார்த்தையை பயன்படுத்துகிறார். சாதியை மொத்தமாக ஒழிக்கவேண்டும் என்பது தான் இதன் அர்த்தம். Annihilation என்ற சொல்லை விட Abolition என்ற சொல் பொருந்தி போவதாகவே தெரிகிறது.
இவை எல்லாம் இந்நூல் ஆசிரியரின் Afro-அமெரிக்க விடுதலை இயக்கங்களின் தொடர்பாலும் அவற்றில் இருந்து பெற்ற படிப்பினையாலும் பயன்படுத்த பட்ட ஒன்று என்றே தெரிகிறது. மேலும் நிறவெறியோடு சாதியை ஒப்பிட்டு நோக்குவது மகாத்மா புலே காலம் தொட்டு இருந்துவரும் மரபு தான். இதுபோன்ற சர்வதேச அளவிலான ஒடுக்குமுறைகளோடு சாதிய ஒடுக்குமுறைகளை ஒப்பிட்டு நோக்குவது ஒடுக்குமுறையின் அளவீடுகளை அறிய உதவும். மேலும் சாதி போன்ற ஒரு மாபெரும் மக்கள் திரள் சந்திக்கும் வடுவை(Trauma) சர்வதேச அளவில் முக்கிய பிரச்சனையாக முன்னிறுத்த இதுபோன்ற வார்த்தை பிரியோகங்கள் நிச்சயம் உதவும் எனலாம்.
‘Whitewashing Caste - How Indian immigrants used religion and caste to naturalise as White in the US’ என்று தலைப்பிடப்பட்ட கட்டுரை 2023 பிப்ரவரி மாத Caravan இதழில் வெளியாகி இருந்தது. இந்த சிக்கல் இந்நூலிலும் விரிவாக பேசப்பட்டு இருக்கிறது. அமெரிக்காவில் நிறவெறிக்கு எதிரான சட்டங்கள் வரும் முன்பு இந்தியாவில் இருந்து சென்ற இந்தியர்கள் தங்களை எப்படி எ���்லாம் வெள்ளையர்களாக காட்டிக்கொள்ள முயன்றார்கள் என்பதை இந்நூலின் ஒரு பகுதியில் பேசுகிறார். பார்ப்பனர்கள் தங்களை ஆரிய இனத்தை சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்று கூறி வெள்ளை இனத்தை சேர்தவராக தங்களை முன்னிறுத்தி கொள்ள முயன்றுள்ளனர். ஆனால் பலருக்கு இது சாத்தியப்படவில்லை. ஒரு கட்டத்தில் இந்தியர்கள் அனைவரும் இரண்டாம்தர குடிகள் என்று முடிவானது. நிறவெறிக்கு எதிரான சட்டம் இயற்றப்படும் வரை இந்த நிலையே தொடர்ந்தது. இதன் பின்னர் அங்கும் சாதி சார்ந்த பாகுபாடுகள் தெற்காசியர்களிடையே அதிகளவில் பின்பற்றப்பட்டது. பார்ப்பனர்களின் அதிகளவிலான வெளிநாட்டு இடப்பெயர்வு இந்த போக்குக்கு வினையூக்கியாக அமைந்தது. சர்வதேச தகவல் தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனங்களின் உச்ச பொறுப்புகளில் அமர்ந்துகொண்டு மிக நுணுக்கமான சாதியத்தை பார்ப்பனர்கள் இன்றுவரை கடைபிடித்து வருவதையும் அதற்கு எதிராக அமெரிக்காவில் இன்றைக்கு பல போராட்டங்கள் நடப்பதையும் விளக்கமாக நமக்கு பகிர்கிறார் தேன்மொழி சௌந்தரராஜன்.
இந்நூல் ஒரு உரையாடலை வாசகருடன் நிகழ்த்துகிறது, அந்த உரையாடல் தலித் பெண்ணியர் ஒருவரது பார்வையில் இருந்து வெளிப்படும் ஒன்றாக இருக்கிறது. இந்த உரையாடல் யாரையும் அந்நியப்படுத்தவில்லை. ஒடுக்குபவரும் ஒடுக்கப்படுபவரும் சேர்த்து தான் சாதியை முற்றிலுமாக அழித்தொழிக்கமுடியும் என்ற இவரது பார்வை கவனிக்கத்தக்கது. இது எந்த தனி நபரையும் எதிராக நிறுத்தாமல் சாதியை அதன் மூலம் ஏற்ப்படும் கொடுமைகளை எதிராக நிறுத்துகிறது. Pedagogy of the oppressed என்ற கோட்பாட்டினை இந்நூல் உள்வாங்கியே இருக்கிறது.
தெற்காசிய மதங்களிலும் தெற்காசியர்கள் செல்லும் இடங்களிலும் சாதி எப்படி ஊடுருவி பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது என்பதை மிக தெளிவாகவே பேசியுள்ளார் இந்நூலில். தன்னை ஒரு பௌத்தராக முன்னிறுத்திக்கொண்டாலும் இலங்கையில் சிங்கள பௌத்த இனவாதத்தை விமர்சிக்கவே செய்கிறார். சாதியும் இனமும் மனிதாபிமானமற்றவர்களாக (Dehumanized)மனிதர்களை மாற்றியுள்ளது. இவரை மனிதர்களை தனிமைப்படுத்தவே முயல்கிறது. இதற்கு எதிராக மனிதாபிமானம்(Humanity) நிறைந்த ஒரு கூட்டமைப்பை ஒற்றுமையை போதிக்கும் ஒன்றாக நாம் அனைவரும் சேர்ந்து நிறுவவேண்டும் என்கிறார். அதற்கு அவரவர் சந்தித்த ஒடுக்குமுறைகளை, சமூகத்தில் தங்களது சாதியின் நிலையை, அது பற்றிய புரிதலை முந்தை தலைமுறை அனுபவித்த கொடுமைகளை பற்றி எல்லாம் தெரிந்துகொள்ள வேண்டியது அவசியம் என்கிறார். இதை எல்லாம் உணர்ந்த பிறகு சாதிக்கு எதிரான ஒரு மனநிலையை உருவாக்கி கொண்டு அதை எதிர்கொள்ளும் உத்வேகத்தை பெற்று அதற்கெதிரான செயல்பாடுகளில் இறங்கவேண்டும் என்பது இவரது செயல்திட்டமாக இருக்கிறது.
சாதி போன்ற ஒரு ஆன்மீக(Spiritual) அதே நேரத்தில் பொருளியல்(Material) ஒடுக்குமுறையை எதிர்கொள்ள ஆன்மீக/அறிவியல் தேடலை முன்வைக்கிறார். அதற்கு நாத்தீகம், பௌத்தம், கிறித்துவம் போன்ற ஆன்மீக/ அறிவியல் நிம்மதி தரும் மதங்களை இவர் அகம் சார்ந்த தீர்வாக முன்வைக்கிறார். சாதி போன்ற மனிதமற்ற ஒரு வடுவில் இருந்து விடுவித்து கொள்ளை மனிதம் நிறைந்த ஒரு தேடல் அவசியமாகிறது. பகுத்தறிவு பேசுவோருக்கு அது அறிவியல் தேடலாக இருக்கிறது . மற்றவர்களுக்கு அது ஆன்மீக தேடலாகவே உள்ளது. அகம் சார்ந்த விடுதலையை அடைய இதுபோன்ற தேடல்கள் அவசியம் என்கிறார்.
நூலின் இறுதியில் பின் இணைப்பாக சாதியை அழித்தொழிக்க போராடிய முன்னோடி தலைவர்களை நினைவு கூறும் விதமாக அவர்களை பற்றிய சிறு குறிப்பு இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது. அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர், பெரியார், மகாத்மா புலே, சாவித���ரிபாய் புலே, அயோத்திதாசர், அய்யன்காளி, பூலான் தேவி, ரவிதாஸர், ஜோகேந்திரநாத் மண்டல் போன்ற தலைவர்கள் இதில் அடங்குவர்.
அடுத்த பின் இணைப்பாக தான் பின்பற்றிவரும் பௌத்தம் குறித்தும் அதில் தான் மேற்கொள்ளும் தியான முறைகள் குறித்தும் இதுபோன்ற ஒடுக்குமுறைகளுக்கு அது எத்தகைய அகம் சார்ந்த தீர்வுகளை வழங்குகிறது என்பதை பற்றியும் பேசுகிறார்.
இந்நூல் சாதியில் வடுவில் இருந்து விடுபட நினைப்பவர்களுக்கு ஒரு Workbook போல் தான் இருக்கிறது. சாதி குறித்த அனைத்து பரிமாணங்கள் பற்றியும் ஏதோ ஒரு வகையிலான அறிமுகத்தை நமக்கு வழங்குகிறது. அமெரிக்காவில் குடியுரிமை பெற்ற ஒரு இந்தியர் தனது வேர்களை தேடி அது மனிதத்தன்மை அற்ற ஒன்றாக இருப்பதை அறிந்து அதற்கான தீர்வுகளை முன்வைக்க ஒரு நூல் எழுதுவதெல்லாம் அரிதான செயல். அப்படியான ஒன்றை சாத்தியப்படுத்தி இருக்கிறார் தேன்மொழி சௌந்தரராஜன்.
தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பை வேண்டி நிற்கும் முக்கியமான ஆங்கில நூல்களில் பட்டியலில் இந்நூலை முதல் ஐந்திடங்களில் அடக்கலாம். சாத்தியப்படும் என்று நம்புவோமாக. வாய்ப்பிருக்கும் நண்பர்கள் அவசியம் வாசிக்கவும்.
December 28, 2022
As far as I am aware, this is the only (or at least the only recent) book on caste for a North American audience. Soundararajan writes with deep sincerity and vulnerability. Though the book seems to be intended more for a Dalit audience or for non-South Asian people interested in social justice broadly, I think there's value in reading it as a Savarna person, especially to prompt further inquiry (as one of the appendices seems aimed to facilitate).
I found some parts of the book repetitive and wished many times that the author hadn't done so much quoting/paraphrasing of other thinkers who influenced her. Still, the many sections that discuss the intersection of religion, spirituality, and caste were lucid and made many connections I was glad to hear articulated.
I found some parts of the book repetitive and wished many times that the author hadn't done so much quoting/paraphrasing of other thinkers who influenced her. Still, the many sections that discuss the intersection of religion, spirituality, and caste were lucid and made many connections I was glad to hear articulated.
April 23, 2023
It’s probably not too surprising that my feelings about this book are complicated. The most important thing to say is that it is essential reading. It is an incredibly accessible, diligent, and powerful explanation of an ongoing historical project of rule that so many people are unaware of or uninformed about. It is a polemic driven by empathy and hope. My only critique was that there were certain instances where I felt like Soundarajan oversimplified an issue or downplayed the importance of other factors besides caste, but these moments were minor and did not detract from the value of the work.
January 4, 2023
I learned so much about the broad spectrum of how caste unfolds in both South Asia and North America. I also believe that Soundararajan offered a vast repository of names, resources, and references so that I can confidently do research on my own as someone outside of academia. I am grateful for the creation and accessibility of this book and I do believe it is a must-read for anyone that is upper caste. Thank you, Thenmozhi.
April 16, 2024
This book does a great job of describing caste in South Asia and the diaspora, and all the effects it has on individuals and society. It goes into history, anecdotes, and public events, covering topics from environmental racism to policing, and centering on spirituality and the healing in our souls that has to happen and how it can happen. It easily connects to solidarity with other issues, particularly racism and anti-Blackness in America. A very informative and inspiring read!
May 9, 2023
I wish this had come out just a few months earlier. This would have been the perfect book for a class I taught on race, ethnicity, and caste.
March 6, 2024
as someone who’s tamil and of a lower caste, this book immediately peaked my interest when i came across it. saw the author on the cover of the book and immediately noticed she was tamil and i knew i had to read it.
growing up, i knew almost nothing about caste. all i knew was that there were brahmins - who were typically vegetarians, and non brahmins who were like me. but whenever india and hinduism were brought up in history textbooks, the caste system was always mentioned. i always sort of regarded it as something that was a problem of the past, some ancient issue that wasn’t very significant anymore.
when i was around 15, i took world history again, and the caste system kept getting mentioned. i began to get curious, and then asked my parents what caste i was. they both exchanged nervous glances and then explained the whole system to me.
apparently our caste was vaniyar - part of the most backward class. 1/3 of tamil nadu is a part of this group. they told me that vaniyars were stereotyped as sort of violent/savages. in the past, i guess this group was a subgroup of the kshatriya group, but in the new affirmative action policies we were the group right after the scheduled caste that encompassed shudras and dalits in terms of getting affirmative action - called the most backward class. so obviously, the experiences my family faced from casteism were far less challenging and traumatizing that what dalits had to face, and what thenmozhi had to encounter.
i started asking my parents more questions. both my parents grew up in the north, so they weren’t subjected to as much casteism because they could simply say “yeah im some south indian caste” whenever they were questioned. colorism and casteism were also extremely tied together. my mom, being lighter skinned, would have brahmins believe that she was of their caste, and as soon as they saw her food, they would stop talking to her. my grandpa was a professor at IIT, where majority of the professors were brahmin except one, and they made it living hell for him to progress in his position. my dad discussed how a few brahmins talked a non brahmin out of applying for a position that only one person could get so that they would be able to get the job. my other grandpa, when going to the temple, had a few people start yelling at him and threatening to kick him out because he wasn’t wearing the brahmin thread, attempting to kick him out of the temple because they thought he was dalit (fortunately there were also some sane people who fought back against those trying to kick him out). my dad talked about affirmative action, and how only his family and one other family in the neighborhood had their lights turned on in support of affirmative action while higher caste people were protesting against affirmative action. my grandma always changes her accent to a brahmin accent in front of brahmins rather than her madras accent which is more “slangier”, in order to fit in. when one of her maids - who was of a higher caste compared to her, discussed their child’s marriage, the maid said “i don’t know why my son had to marry your caste, he should’ve married into another one”. my grandma always says that brahmins are the type to talk to you and get as much as they can out of you, but they would never let you in on their secrets. it was almost like they needed to hold onto their power and reserve it for the elite. obviously not all brahmins are like this, but there are enough stories that we hear to understand that casteism is a big issue.
and obviously, my caste also perpetuated violence among the scheduled caste. my mom discussed how her uncle hired solely based on caste, and would immediately hire if he knew they were vaniyar.
my dad thinks it funny - both of the groups are treated like crap and inflicting harm on each other when the actual oppressor gets on their way, benefitting off of both of them. sort of what the british did during imperialism - dividing us to conquer.
when reading this book, i was genuinely surprised how india is only comprised of 5% brahmins, because in the US, there’s a disproportionate amount of indian brahmins. it really is a systemic issue - brahmins hold most of the power in india, and they’re typically the ones who make it out in search of better opportunities.
it was also very interesting to learn about casteism in abrahamic faiths. my grandma did tell me that a lot of dalits would convert into christianity because of the way they treated. but what’s surprising is that many indian christian’s still discriminate on the basis of caste. my grandpa, when meeting with tamil christians, was still asked of his caste. it’s such a pervasive problem that’s intertwined with indian society, no matter what faith.
the history of how brahmanism came to be and her analyzing a lot of the very popular hindu stories was also extremely enlightening - i had never knew how casteist the Mahabharata was (though i always disliked the Ramayana for a multitude of reasons). evalkhya (i forgot how to spell his name) and how he had to be subservient to upper caste arjuna and drona, as well as rama killing a shudra just because he was reading texts and learning about religion showcases how prevalent casteism has been in ancient texts. even the Bhavagad gita with how krishna discusses dharma, and the discussion of how a mixing of castes would destroy the whole family.
however one incorrect statement that thenmozhi made was about the discussion of the aryan invasion theory and how that led to brahmanism. the aryan invasion theory has actually gotten disapproved, so that is inaccurate.
i had always read about arguments online discussing how casteism was worsened by colonial powers and always blindly kind of believed it did play a big role, but thenmozhi did a great job in educating me on how it’s been prevalent in hinduism for a very long time. we can blame the british for a lot of stuff, but the caste system isn’t one of them.
it was also very informative hearing about the sikh genocide. i knew of the situation that happened in the golden temple and the assassination of indira ghandi, but never knew of the genocide and of how sikh houses were literally marked before many sikhs were killed. i had never heard of the stories about the aftermath after indira ghandis assassination. i do believe sikhism is a beautiful religion with beliefs a lot of hindus can learn from. when i go to the gurdwara everyone sits down on the floor and eats during langar no matter the age, gender, status, etc. everyone deserves food and sikhs emphasize servitude so much, treating others equally - it’s something hindus can learn from.
also i’m glad she discussed modi - his polarizing views that are attempting to establish india as a hindu state rather than what we have always been - a secular state, is alarming. hes rampantly islamaphobic, and the bjp party is taking control. especially with the banning of hijabs in karnataka. i had also never heard of the CAA that modi passed in 2019. many lower class citizens didn’t have access to documents after the partition,
essentially making it harder for religious minorities and dalits to keep their citizenship in india.
i also really like the quote “people enter spiritual practices and surrender everything without critical judgement and informed consent. (…) To my mind, part of being a seeker is to interrogate all teachings and practices, to stay soft and flexible as opposed to rigid and dogmatic, to move slowly enough to be able to see when we’re being blinded to the truth”.
because the reality is, all religions started off as a way to spread hope in a time of uncertainty and fear, but almost all have ended up as a way to control and preserve the power of the elite. christianity spread and forced converted numerous people in the americas, the whole southern half of Africa, the Philippines, oceania, and more - destroying the folk religions and beliefs of the indigenous people there. islam - via the ottoman and mughal empire force converted and killed many people because they believed their faith was superior - as well as contributed to the dinka and darfur genocides in south sudan, and the armenian genocide as well. judaism has formed some zionists in occupied palestine, where many jews believe it is a jews birthright to occupy lands that are not there’s. but what thenmozhi also discussed is that dharmic religions are also destructive. the rohingya genocide in myanmar and the tamil genocide in sri lanka are/were being accomplished by buddhists. the dalit genocide and discrimination that has been occurring for centuries, as well as muslim hate crimes and genocide in india have been the result of hindus.
to be a part of a faith is to be able to criticize it. thenmozhi discusses how we don’t like acknowledging that we could be the oppressor - that we could have taken a part in the discrimination against a certain group of people. it’s a lot easier to adopt a victim mentality, to start defending the only faith and identity that you know - because what would you be without it?
my dad had said that there’s a deep inner shame that comes with knowing that you’re of a lower caste. when you’re questioned on your caste, you feel embarrassed, inferior, lesser than - an imposter. but these systems are breaking.
my dads side of the family is very against brahmanism. typically during a hindu marriage, a brahmin priest recites prayers, but during their marriage, the elders did so. they decided that they didn’t need someone who supposedly holds the secret to knowledge that lower castes aren’t allowed to have, to bless them.
i’m glad i read this book - lots of insights on the traumas that dalits faced, much that i had no clue about at all. i knew dalit discrimination existed, but i never understood how significant and systemic the issue was. the only criticism i have about this book, other than the inaccuracy about the aryan invasion theory is that it was a little repetitive in many chapters. i would’ve liked to hear about more stories, more examples, more statistics and facts rather than commentary which i felt like was very repetitive.
other than that, beautiful book :) definitely gonna question a lot more of my family on what they’ve experienced with casteism as well as the harm they could’ve perpetuated on shudras and dalits. this is like the first tamil author, let alone tamil american author i’ve ever heard from so interesting read!
growing up, i knew almost nothing about caste. all i knew was that there were brahmins - who were typically vegetarians, and non brahmins who were like me. but whenever india and hinduism were brought up in history textbooks, the caste system was always mentioned. i always sort of regarded it as something that was a problem of the past, some ancient issue that wasn’t very significant anymore.
when i was around 15, i took world history again, and the caste system kept getting mentioned. i began to get curious, and then asked my parents what caste i was. they both exchanged nervous glances and then explained the whole system to me.
apparently our caste was vaniyar - part of the most backward class. 1/3 of tamil nadu is a part of this group. they told me that vaniyars were stereotyped as sort of violent/savages. in the past, i guess this group was a subgroup of the kshatriya group, but in the new affirmative action policies we were the group right after the scheduled caste that encompassed shudras and dalits in terms of getting affirmative action - called the most backward class. so obviously, the experiences my family faced from casteism were far less challenging and traumatizing that what dalits had to face, and what thenmozhi had to encounter.
i started asking my parents more questions. both my parents grew up in the north, so they weren’t subjected to as much casteism because they could simply say “yeah im some south indian caste” whenever they were questioned. colorism and casteism were also extremely tied together. my mom, being lighter skinned, would have brahmins believe that she was of their caste, and as soon as they saw her food, they would stop talking to her. my grandpa was a professor at IIT, where majority of the professors were brahmin except one, and they made it living hell for him to progress in his position. my dad discussed how a few brahmins talked a non brahmin out of applying for a position that only one person could get so that they would be able to get the job. my other grandpa, when going to the temple, had a few people start yelling at him and threatening to kick him out because he wasn’t wearing the brahmin thread, attempting to kick him out of the temple because they thought he was dalit (fortunately there were also some sane people who fought back against those trying to kick him out). my dad talked about affirmative action, and how only his family and one other family in the neighborhood had their lights turned on in support of affirmative action while higher caste people were protesting against affirmative action. my grandma always changes her accent to a brahmin accent in front of brahmins rather than her madras accent which is more “slangier”, in order to fit in. when one of her maids - who was of a higher caste compared to her, discussed their child’s marriage, the maid said “i don’t know why my son had to marry your caste, he should’ve married into another one”. my grandma always says that brahmins are the type to talk to you and get as much as they can out of you, but they would never let you in on their secrets. it was almost like they needed to hold onto their power and reserve it for the elite. obviously not all brahmins are like this, but there are enough stories that we hear to understand that casteism is a big issue.
and obviously, my caste also perpetuated violence among the scheduled caste. my mom discussed how her uncle hired solely based on caste, and would immediately hire if he knew they were vaniyar.
my dad thinks it funny - both of the groups are treated like crap and inflicting harm on each other when the actual oppressor gets on their way, benefitting off of both of them. sort of what the british did during imperialism - dividing us to conquer.
when reading this book, i was genuinely surprised how india is only comprised of 5% brahmins, because in the US, there’s a disproportionate amount of indian brahmins. it really is a systemic issue - brahmins hold most of the power in india, and they’re typically the ones who make it out in search of better opportunities.
it was also very interesting to learn about casteism in abrahamic faiths. my grandma did tell me that a lot of dalits would convert into christianity because of the way they treated. but what’s surprising is that many indian christian’s still discriminate on the basis of caste. my grandpa, when meeting with tamil christians, was still asked of his caste. it’s such a pervasive problem that’s intertwined with indian society, no matter what faith.
the history of how brahmanism came to be and her analyzing a lot of the very popular hindu stories was also extremely enlightening - i had never knew how casteist the Mahabharata was (though i always disliked the Ramayana for a multitude of reasons). evalkhya (i forgot how to spell his name) and how he had to be subservient to upper caste arjuna and drona, as well as rama killing a shudra just because he was reading texts and learning about religion showcases how prevalent casteism has been in ancient texts. even the Bhavagad gita with how krishna discusses dharma, and the discussion of how a mixing of castes would destroy the whole family.
however one incorrect statement that thenmozhi made was about the discussion of the aryan invasion theory and how that led to brahmanism. the aryan invasion theory has actually gotten disapproved, so that is inaccurate.
i had always read about arguments online discussing how casteism was worsened by colonial powers and always blindly kind of believed it did play a big role, but thenmozhi did a great job in educating me on how it’s been prevalent in hinduism for a very long time. we can blame the british for a lot of stuff, but the caste system isn’t one of them.
it was also very informative hearing about the sikh genocide. i knew of the situation that happened in the golden temple and the assassination of indira ghandi, but never knew of the genocide and of how sikh houses were literally marked before many sikhs were killed. i had never heard of the stories about the aftermath after indira ghandis assassination. i do believe sikhism is a beautiful religion with beliefs a lot of hindus can learn from. when i go to the gurdwara everyone sits down on the floor and eats during langar no matter the age, gender, status, etc. everyone deserves food and sikhs emphasize servitude so much, treating others equally - it’s something hindus can learn from.
also i’m glad she discussed modi - his polarizing views that are attempting to establish india as a hindu state rather than what we have always been - a secular state, is alarming. hes rampantly islamaphobic, and the bjp party is taking control. especially with the banning of hijabs in karnataka. i had also never heard of the CAA that modi passed in 2019. many lower class citizens didn’t have access to documents after the partition,
essentially making it harder for religious minorities and dalits to keep their citizenship in india.
i also really like the quote “people enter spiritual practices and surrender everything without critical judgement and informed consent. (…) To my mind, part of being a seeker is to interrogate all teachings and practices, to stay soft and flexible as opposed to rigid and dogmatic, to move slowly enough to be able to see when we’re being blinded to the truth”.
because the reality is, all religions started off as a way to spread hope in a time of uncertainty and fear, but almost all have ended up as a way to control and preserve the power of the elite. christianity spread and forced converted numerous people in the americas, the whole southern half of Africa, the Philippines, oceania, and more - destroying the folk religions and beliefs of the indigenous people there. islam - via the ottoman and mughal empire force converted and killed many people because they believed their faith was superior - as well as contributed to the dinka and darfur genocides in south sudan, and the armenian genocide as well. judaism has formed some zionists in occupied palestine, where many jews believe it is a jews birthright to occupy lands that are not there’s. but what thenmozhi also discussed is that dharmic religions are also destructive. the rohingya genocide in myanmar and the tamil genocide in sri lanka are/were being accomplished by buddhists. the dalit genocide and discrimination that has been occurring for centuries, as well as muslim hate crimes and genocide in india have been the result of hindus.
to be a part of a faith is to be able to criticize it. thenmozhi discusses how we don’t like acknowledging that we could be the oppressor - that we could have taken a part in the discrimination against a certain group of people. it’s a lot easier to adopt a victim mentality, to start defending the only faith and identity that you know - because what would you be without it?
my dad had said that there’s a deep inner shame that comes with knowing that you’re of a lower caste. when you’re questioned on your caste, you feel embarrassed, inferior, lesser than - an imposter. but these systems are breaking.
my dads side of the family is very against brahmanism. typically during a hindu marriage, a brahmin priest recites prayers, but during their marriage, the elders did so. they decided that they didn’t need someone who supposedly holds the secret to knowledge that lower castes aren’t allowed to have, to bless them.
i’m glad i read this book - lots of insights on the traumas that dalits faced, much that i had no clue about at all. i knew dalit discrimination existed, but i never understood how significant and systemic the issue was. the only criticism i have about this book, other than the inaccuracy about the aryan invasion theory is that it was a little repetitive in many chapters. i would’ve liked to hear about more stories, more examples, more statistics and facts rather than commentary which i felt like was very repetitive.
other than that, beautiful book :) definitely gonna question a lot more of my family on what they’ve experienced with casteism as well as the harm they could’ve perpetuated on shudras and dalits. this is like the first tamil author, let alone tamil american author i’ve ever heard from so interesting read!
May 6, 2023
a really important read that taught me so much about the history of caste, how it is perpetuated in the diaspora, and the advocacy of many dalit activists. this book challenged me to think deeply about my ancestral history and the religious norms that are passed down through generations, contributing to cycles of trauma and abuse. i would highly recommend this to anybody, but especially to those in the south asian diaspora.
September 11, 2023
“for love is my ultimate inheritance from my Dalit ancestors”
August 17, 2023
beautiful and deeply emotional explanation of the oppression dalit people are facing in india and how it relates to our global struggle against capitalism, racism, etc. love the somatic and meditative worksheets included to further the reader’s healing and understanding.
October 27, 2022
This is one of the most powerful and emotional books I've read! I'm a graduate student in Ethnic Studies and found this book to be very accessible and relevant to audiences in Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies, South Asian Studies, and Feminist Studies. It's one of the first books written by a Dalit American about caste in the U.S. and it is written so prophetically and beautifully. A very powerful reflection and an urgent must-read especially in the current moment where India is on multiple genocide watch lists and we are witnessing a rise of right-wing authoritarianism across the world!
June 29, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and North Atlantic Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was a fantastic book - I'm not Hindu, and even as an Indian American I've always felt disconnected from the concept of caste, until I went back to India a few years back and heard my relatives talking about someone being in a different caste than us. I didn't realize we were even considered part of the caste system, much less that anyone in our family actually took it at any value - obviously this book doesn't heavily delve into Kerala and Christians in the caste system (though it definitely mentions it), but it's a fantastic and well-needed piece. There's so much about caste that gets unsaid by our community, and even less caste-oppressed voices that are given the chance to actually speak about it.
I'll definitely have to reread this book in the future - I wasn't really in the mood for a nonfiction piece unfortunately so I think I'd just absorb more with reading it when I'm in the mood, but even with that I found myself interested in this book, and I think it's just an overall great book to read, so thanks again to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read it.
This was a fantastic book - I'm not Hindu, and even as an Indian American I've always felt disconnected from the concept of caste, until I went back to India a few years back and heard my relatives talking about someone being in a different caste than us. I didn't realize we were even considered part of the caste system, much less that anyone in our family actually took it at any value - obviously this book doesn't heavily delve into Kerala and Christians in the caste system (though it definitely mentions it), but it's a fantastic and well-needed piece. There's so much about caste that gets unsaid by our community, and even less caste-oppressed voices that are given the chance to actually speak about it.
I'll definitely have to reread this book in the future - I wasn't really in the mood for a nonfiction piece unfortunately so I think I'd just absorb more with reading it when I'm in the mood, but even with that I found myself interested in this book, and I think it's just an overall great book to read, so thanks again to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read it.
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