Word, Books, and the World: Towards an Anti-caste Pedagogy

Abstract

The reservation policy in India claims to address caste discrimination by promoting equality through economic and educational opportunities. Equal opportunities, however, do not often translate into equality. Education remains one of the most prominent tools used to disseminate dominant ideologies and perpetuate oppression. Whether it is the Brahmanical control over Vedic knowledge or the colonial validation of English education as a superior form of knowledge, education inculcates among the oppressed the legitimacy of oppression. The traditional method of education suffers from what Paolo Freire calls ‘narration sickness’. In this form of imparting knowledge, there is usually a teacher who narrates/implants knowledge on the patient, silent, objectified students. This article argues that the challenges towards an egalitarian pedagogy emanate from the social identities rooted in caste that travel across the classrooms. By linking education with the nexus of networks of exclusion, this article aims to offer possible ways to achieve an alternative, emancipatory pedagogy.

Un‘casting’ Universities: Examining the Intersections of Inclusive Curriculum and Dalit Pedagogies in a Private University in Bangalore, India

“…The course aims to initiate students "into becoming more culturally, ethically, socially and politically aware" (Reading Diversity, 2022) to understand the tension that emerges from two distinct discourses: the anti-colonial and anti-caste discourses. Pan (2022) argued that "while the colonial curriculum was disjointed from the socio-religious and economic realities of India's feudal, patriarchal and casteist society, the nationalist models of education promoting 'unity' against the colonizers did not question the internal contradictions and hierarchies produced by caste (Batra, 2020; Rege, 2010)". The vision of 'unity' was challenged by the inherently stratified Indian society which justified caste differences "as rewards or retributions for one's actions in earlier lives and sanctified them through religion" (Naik, 1979, p. 42, quoted in Pan, 2022.…”

“…Before engaging with a sociological, historical or textual analysis, I narrated instances of discrimination that I faced. Another important intervention in my pedagogy was informed by what Pan (2022) narrates as veering towards Dalit pedagogies informed by the pedagogy of Phule and Ambedkar (henceforth PA) which appeals teachers to situate and historicise caste. This implies that my adopted pedagogy had to be consciously dynamic and inclusive, critical and opposed to "narration sickness" (Freire, 2010) wherein the teacher remains a 'narrating subject' and her students, 'patient, listening objects' (Freire, 2000, p. 71).…”

“…The student was able to comprehend the issue, understand its complexities and situate their position within the argument. Pan (2022) mentions that "as a counter-hegemonic discipline, Dalit studies 'challenges the objectivity of knowledge and endorses the view that different belief systems and contradictory interpretations are possible' (Yesudasan, p. 621)" (Pan, 2022, p. 6). The aim of a critical pedagogy is not to convert or homogenise opinions but rather allow a space for articulating individual political choices.…”

“…The classrooms, in the experience of Dalits, instead, work as sites where one confronts the brutal reality of caste." Social stratifications mark their presence quite overtly in classrooms and "who does/does not see caste in classroom, is associated with caste privilege" (Pan, 2022;Mittal, 2020). Hence, while on one hand, upper caste students claim "caste as a practice of the past and denies witnessing it in contemporary society" (2020, p. 106) often denying its existence (Pan, 2022), on the other hand, students from the marginalised communities maintain silence (Mittal, 2020) or look for alternative articulations of their identities.…”

“…Social stratifications mark their presence quite overtly in classrooms and "who does/does not see caste in classroom, is associated with caste privilege" (Pan, 2022;Mittal, 2020). Hence, while on one hand, upper caste students claim "caste as a practice of the past and denies witnessing it in contemporary society" (2020, p. 106) often denying its existence (Pan, 2022), on the other hand, students from the marginalised communities maintain silence (Mittal, 2020) or look for alternative articulations of their identities. Even if the curriculum shows the potential of an equitable discourse, the disconnect between curricula and pedagogy affect classroom engagements.…”