Can you make a comparison between the caste system in India and Apartheid
in South Africa? Explain how.
Answers
Answer:Comparisons can be risky, but not impossible.
Consider for a moment India’s Dalits, or “untouchables,” and African Americans.
Racial inequality in America has its parallel in caste inequality in India even though by definition, race and caste are not the same thing. The story of one struggle for social justice can illuminate the pitfalls and prospects of success of another.
As a researcher in applied ethics, human rights and global development studies, I am leading an ongoing research effort that will compare and contrast the nature of exclusion and marginalization faced by African Americans and Dalit Indians in their respective historical and contemporary contexts.
The Dalit story
Although the Indian constitution bans discrimination on the basis of caste, the social, religious and cultural practice of “untouchability” continues unabated.
Formerly known as “untouchables,” Dalits are excluded from social and public spaces, prevented from drawing water from public facilities and segregated in schools.
Since the caste system was formed over 2,000 years ago, a noticeable percentage of the 200 million “Dalits” have been thrust into the lowest occupations of society, such as scavengers and sanitation cleaners, with little upward mobility.
While there has been some progress since India’s independence from the British Empire, the pace of economic growth in mitigating social inequality has been uneven.
So, in an Indian nation that is rapidly modernizing and urbanizing, opportunities for the Dalits still remain limited. The degradation and the health risks of performing menial tasks are substantial.
Furthermore, with the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in national politics, the continuous expansion of liberty and equality of opportunity is by no means a foregone conclusion.
Discrimination, exclusion, privilege
One can draw parallels in different systems of oppression.
Despite 50 years having passed since the Civil Rights movement, the condition of the majority of poor, urban African Americans is dire, and chances for survival are diminishing over time while the prison pipeline is increasing.
Let’s look at how both caste and racial discrimination perpetuate hierarchy, privilege, discrimination, marginalization and exclusion.
Data from the last few years show 27% of African Americans at the poverty line, which is much higher than other groups. In India, the condition of Dalits has been extremely dire for centuries.
Several African American economists in the US have looked at structural and institutional forms of racial exclusion in terms of wealth and poverty. They have also opened a dialogue with economists in South Asia, where exclusion and inequality relate to caste.
Although some progress was made in the 20th century that allowed greater inclusivity and equity – particularly in higher education – many issues remain despite constitutional bans on caste discrimination.
Explanation:
Answer:
Caste systems in Africa are a form of social stratification found in numerous ethnic groups, found in over fifteen countries, particularly in the Sahel, West African and North African region. ... Some societies have a rigid and strict caste system with embedded slavery, whereas others are more diffuse and complex