66 – Casteism Across Borders: Diasporic Reproduction of Caste Discrimination and Anti-Caste Struggles

October 1, 2025
1:45 pm
H09
This panel examines the often overlooked continuation of casteism within South Asian diasporic communities globally. As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar noted, "The caste problem is a vast one, both theoretically and practically" (Ambedkar, 1979, p. 6). Recent research shows that caste's divisive constructs such as hierarchy, patriarchy, humiliation, deprivations, exclusions, and economic disparities persist, even as social and temporal contexts change (Waghmore, 2023). One key concern that remains underexplored is how casteism changes and reproduces itself as it crosses national borders, maintaining a dynamic and fluid presence in diasporic communities (Hardtmann, 2023). Moreover, the resistance to casteism and efforts to dismantle caste structures in diasporic communities are similarly understudied (Modi, 2023). Even with their physical distance from South Asia, diasporic communities carry cultural, social, and political legacies, with caste being a significant and contentious element that surfaces at the intersection of host countries and migrant communities (Reddy, 2023). This panel aims to address this research gap by examining how caste discrimination appears and is challenged in new socio-cultural settings. It seeks contributions that explore the (im)material causes and effects of casteism in South Asian diasporic communities and look at the social, cultural, political, and legal paths to freedom from casteist practices and beliefs. Dr. Ambedkar emphasised that "Caste has killed public spirit. Caste has destroyed the sense of public charity" (Ambedkar, 1979, p. 56). By focusing on how casteism moves and changes and how diasporic groups confront it, this panel contributes to broader discussions on caste discrimination and its intersection with race and ethnicity. It emphasises the agency of diasporic communities in handling and redefining their caste identities, contributing to the discourse on migration and transnational identities.

Convenor

DR VIKRANT KISHORE

Presentations

Caste and Marriage Among the Indian Diaspora:A Multimodal and Textual Analysis of the Netflix Reality Show Indian Matchmaking
Sharma Somya - IILM University, IILM University, Greater Noida, India
Caste in motion: Unconcealing Different Afterlives of Caste in South Africa from a Dalit-perspective, 1860 to 2024.
Pancham Vikram Kershan - African Studies Centre, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
The Inclusion of Caste in Australia’s Anti-Racism Framework: Progress, Challenges, and Future Directions
Kishore Vikrant - School of International Communications, University of Nottingham, China, Ningbo, China
Transnationalization of Caste: Internationalization of Higher Education and Dalit Experience in Canadian Higher Education
Jidugu Kavya Harshitha - Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Decolonization and Debrahminization: A Dalit Feminist Approach to Diasporic Literature
Geetha Uthara - Instituto Universitario en Género y Diversidad (IUGENDIV), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
Intergenerational Transmission of Caste Identity among Fijian Indian Families: Exploring the Role of Social Media Networks
GANJOO MAITHILI - GLOBAL MEDIA EDUCATION COUNCIL, MANAVRACHNA INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES, NOIDA, India
Disrupting Caste through Migration? The Origins of Care Labour Migration from Kerala (India) to Germany in 1964
Großmann Dr. Tobias Santosh - German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) Research Centre