Race in South Asia: Colonialism, nationalism and modern science

Abstract

Unlike caste and religion, race has not been considered a primary lens for reading the formative histories of the different communities in colonial India. “Race” in South Asia holds a prominent place primarily in the history of medicine. Largely, this scholarship can be considered situated within the more generalized framework of race being the determinant of colonial difference. Beyond that, however, the significant role “race” played in producing knowledge about the difference between communities within the subcontinent, has been underexamined. In the early‐mid 20th century, despite critiquing European race science, several Indian scholars continued to use “race” as a scientific object in order to trace racial difference and affinity between various communities—particularly, Dalits, Muslims, and Adivasis. This anticolonial, nationalist science which derived from certain European methods (viz., anthropometry), without conceding to all conclusions predominant in Europe (viz., the existence of racial purity), contributed to the production of upper‐caste Hindus as the hegemonic population of India. This article argues that much insight remains to be gained by focusing on how race played a fundamental role in producing the notion of the upper caste Hindu population as hegemonic, in distinction to its others, like Scheduled Castes and Muslims.

Confronting Racism in All Forms of Pain Research: A Shared Commitment for Engagement, Diversity, and Dissemination

“…Some groups experience social and political oppression or stratification in relation to their position in a social hierarchy (e.g., caste system in India) or religion (e.g., Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar). However, colonial anthropology also used racialization to classify and hierarchize castes and religious groups 50 . This type of racialization often operates through the lens of colorism (e.g., perceived skin tone discrimination from racialized groups and White people) and functions similarly to racialization as a form of hierarchy and discrimination.…”

“…This type of racialization often operates through the lens of colorism (e.g., perceived skin tone discrimination from racialized groups and White people) and functions similarly to racialization as a form of hierarchy and discrimination. For example, some Syrian Christians express their identity as "light-skin colored" of upper-caste Namboodiri origin 50 . Although it has received less attention in disparities research, colorism can have significant effects on health, with recent research demonstrating that in a large sample of White and Black adults in the USA, in-group Black colorism was a stronger predictor of pain than everyday discrimination 94 .…”