The west has long defined racism as a function of colonial domination and discrimination. But in a changing world this definition must be challenged.
Workplace discrimination: a young boy of the Dhobi caste washing clothes in Mumbai, India. Dhobis are part of the Dalit or ‘Untouchable’ caste.
Alec Macdonald / Alamy Stock Photo
A recent report has recommended ‘blind’ recruitment for India’s civil service to prevent caste discrimination. But this is unlikely to solve the problem of entrenched privilege.
Migrant workers leaving New Delhi to go back to their villages amid the coronavirus lockdown.
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Dalits have long been ostracized as the ‘untouchables’ in Indian society. Discrimination and the impact of the coronavirus have only reinforced their status.
Maratha Kranti Morcha, a rallye for Marathi castes demanding respect of their rights in Mumbai last year.
Mhidanesh/Wikimedia
India is not able to do away with its caste politics. It has been apparent in the dramatic turn of Narendra Modi’s regime to woo lower castes through multiple policy measures.
Be careful! In Uttar Pradesh, the cow trade is now almost wholly criminalised.
Jitendra Prakash/Reuters
A crackdown on the beef and leather trades has put hundreds of thousands of Indian Muslims and Dalits out of work, vexing already-tense religious relations and hurting India’s economy.