British Association of South Asian Studies Conference 2014

Description

Karin Kapadia and Hugo co-convened a panel that brought several scholars working on Dalits together at the 2014 British Association of South Asian Studies conference. The panel was called: Dalit Lives: Dynamism and Discrimination in India and Beyond. The abstract for the panel stated: In 2013, both the EU and the UK Parliament have sought to legislate against caste discrimination. This fact simultaneously highlights the persistence of forms of discrimination on the basis of caste, and the rise of movements and activists determined to challenge such practices. Caste, we are reminded, is dynamic rather than static and assumes different forms in different temporal and spatial contexts. This panel invites papers that will help understand and illustrate contemporary manifestations of caste both in India and in the diaspora. Over 60 years since the practice of untouchability was rendered a punishable offence in the Indian Constitution, forms of this practice persist. We ask for papers that chart existing forms of casteism and elucidate the reasons why they continue to blight social relations. Caste practices also shape contemporary identities and politics. Indeed, it has been argued that hierarchy has given way to identity in the caste system. We invite papers that reflect on the complex interplay between caste and politics and the intersection between identity and political mobilisation in all its various forms, both traditional and unconventional. Finally, the rise of caste-based groups and campaigns has served to highlight previously hidden histories or to re-signify cultures that were stigmatised or discounted in the past. We invite papers on the cultural aspects of caste and on the dynamics surrounding caste based histories, myths, rituals and arts.

Period	2 Apr 2014
Event type	Conference
Location	London, United KingdomShow on map