Casting a Light: Interviews and Insight into the Hindu Caste System
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Darin Van Tassell
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Paper Presentation
Abstract
For more than four millennia, the Hindu Caste System has underscored life in India. With five stratifications, the caste system defines life for its members. The five stratifications include four castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Shudras -- as well as the “untouchables” also known as Pariahs or Dalits. In a post-colonial and post-Gandhi world, the caste system has shifted. With affirmative action programs, the election of a Dalit President in 1997, and the impact of a globalized world, interested students and scholars are raising questions about the future of such a system. What is life like for a person in each caste system in this day and age? More specifically, what is life like for university students who are part of this system living in the United States of America?
This research aims to give a voice to those who are within a system surrounded in stigma in order to provide a better appreciation of the social and cultural border that their fellow students and faculty members rarely understand. These five students vary in their backgrounds, ranging from modern, traditional, second-generation immigrants, to immigrants themselves. India is home to the second largest population in the world as well as the largest population of Hindus. The stories and voices surrounding these students are imperative and essential in bettering our outlook on what much of the modern worlds sees as an obscure and anachronistic system.
These five student profiles were completed through a series of interviews with each student. In each interview, they were asked to talk about themselves in a general manner. The questions were not necessarily centralized on caste; however, many of their experiences are rooted in the caste system.
When it comes to the Hindu Caste System, most of the research traditionally has not focused on students or their specific stories. The majority of the research was published more than two decades ago, with only a few noted studies arriving within the last ten years about women, disparities, and the economy. Little to nothing exists in the form of meaningful qualitative research in these areas, not only for the Caste System, but also for international students and second generation immigrants. Current research packages these students and immigrants into statistics, which leads to the loss of personal stories..
Keywords
International studies, Caste system, India, Interviews, Hinduism
Location
Room 2904
Presentation Year
2014
Start Date
11-15-2014 1:45 PM
End Date
11-15-2014 2:45 PM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Porter, Amber, "Casting a Light: Interviews and Insight into the Hindu Caste System" (2014). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 83.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2014/2014/83
Casting a Light: Interviews and Insight into the Hindu Caste System
Room 2904
For more than four millennia, the Hindu Caste System has underscored life in India. With five stratifications, the caste system defines life for its members. The five stratifications include four castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Shudras -- as well as the “untouchables” also known as Pariahs or Dalits. In a post-colonial and post-Gandhi world, the caste system has shifted. With affirmative action programs, the election of a Dalit President in 1997, and the impact of a globalized world, interested students and scholars are raising questions about the future of such a system. What is life like for a person in each caste system in this day and age? More specifically, what is life like for university students who are part of this system living in the United States of America?
This research aims to give a voice to those who are within a system surrounded in stigma in order to provide a better appreciation of the social and cultural border that their fellow students and faculty members rarely understand. These five students vary in their backgrounds, ranging from modern, traditional, second-generation immigrants, to immigrants themselves. India is home to the second largest population in the world as well as the largest population of Hindus. The stories and voices surrounding these students are imperative and essential in bettering our outlook on what much of the modern worlds sees as an obscure and anachronistic system.
These five student profiles were completed through a series of interviews with each student. In each interview, they were asked to talk about themselves in a general manner. The questions were not necessarily centralized on caste; however, many of their experiences are rooted in the caste system.
When it comes to the Hindu Caste System, most of the research traditionally has not focused on students or their specific stories. The majority of the research was published more than two decades ago, with only a few noted studies arriving within the last ten years about women, disparities, and the economy. Little to nothing exists in the form of meaningful qualitative research in these areas, not only for the Caste System, but also for international students and second generation immigrants. Current research packages these students and immigrants into statistics, which leads to the loss of personal stories..
