This paper will deal with the concept of race as configured by low caste movements in India and social reformers seeking to abolish Untouchability and to improve the status of lower castes by way of opposing Brahmin hegemony. It will be shown that the formulation of a distinct racial identity often goes hand in hand with the rejection of Hinduism, the religion the discriminatory caste system originated from.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries there have been many different strategies by means of which the Untouchables have tried to escape their subjugated position within the discriminatory Hindu social order. Along inevitably came the need for the formulation of a separate identity that, obviously, did not emphasise their supposed ritual impurity or their long history of oppression, but rather a prestigious heritage and equality, if not superiority not only in a moral, but cultural and even biological sense. In line with the nationalist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that drew much of their inspiration from Orientalist knowledge and colonial ethnographic theories regarding the racial origins of Indian society, another factor may have contributed to the Untouchables‘ rejection of Hindu orthodoxy: That of a racialised thinking and pronounced, separate ethnic identity. Thus, in what ways is the Untouchables‘ rejection of Hinduism related to racial ideologies?
Table of Contents
1. The Untouchables‘ Rejection of Hinduism and its Relation to Racial Ideologies
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper investigates the nexus between the rejection of Hinduism by lower-caste movements and the emergence of racialized ethnic identities in India. It examines how various social reformers and movements utilized racial theories—such as the Aryan Invasion Theory—to challenge Brahmin hegemony, redefine their own heritage, and construct an autonomous, prestigious identity as a strategy for social and political emancipation.
- Analysis of the historical intersection between caste, race, and colonial ethnographic theories in India.
- Evaluation of Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s socio-religious struggle and his interpretation of Brahminism.
- Examination of the "Adi" movements and the role of E. V. Ramaswami (Periyar) in advocating Dravidianism.
- Investigation of North Indian movements, specifically the Adi Hindu and Ad Dharm, and their relation to Bhakti traditions.
- Comparison of these racialized approaches with B. R. Ambedkar’s alternative "de-ethnicized" perspective on conversion and identity.
Excerpt from the Book
The Untouchables‘ Rejection of Hinduism and its Relation to Racial Ideologies
Traditionally, a person’s Untouchability derived from his or her occupation with materials considered ritually impure, e.g. leather, carcasses or blood. By the time of the low caste leaders and social refom movements this paper is about, Untouchability had long since been hereditary. Social exclusion was inherited and Untouchables were met with a kind of racial prejudice as their supposed inferiority was based on descent. Untouchables may have even begun to consider themselves to belong to a different race other than so-called caste Hindus.
The above quotation by Periyar vividly illustrates his aversion against the religion of the ‘upper caste people‘ which is commonly referred to as Hinduism. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries there have been many different strategies by means of which the Untouchables have tried to escape their subjugated position within the discriminatory Hindu social order that Periyar so despises. Along inevitably came the need for the formulation of a separate identity that, obviously, did not emphasise their supposed ritual impurity or their long history of oppression, but rather a prestigious heritage and equality, if not superiority not only in a moral, but cultural and even biological sense. In line with the nationalist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that drew much of their inspiration from Orientalist knowledge and colonial ethnographic theories regarding the racial origins of Indian society, another factor may have contributed to the Untouchables‘ rejection of Hindu orthodoxy: That of a racialised thinking and pronounced, separate ethnic identity. Thus, in what ways is the Untouchables‘ rejection of Hinduism related to racial ideologies?
Summary of Chapters
1. The Untouchables‘ Rejection of Hinduism and its Relation to Racial Ideologies: This section establishes the historical and ideological framework, exploring how low-caste movements leveraged theories of racial difference to resist caste-based oppression and define a separate identity.
Keywords
Untouchables, Hinduism, Racial Ideologies, Brahminism, Caste System, Aryan Invasion Theory, Identity Politics, Periyar, Mahatma Jotirao Phule, Dalit, Dravidian, Adi Movements, Social Reform, Religion, Emancipation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the link between the rejection of Hinduism by lower-caste groups and the adoption of racialized ideologies to forge new, independent identities against Brahmin social hegemony.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key themes include the impact of Orientalist colonial theories, the construct of racial identities in 19th and 20th-century India, the role of social reform movements like the Satyashodhak Samaj, and the ideological evolution of the Dravidian and Adi movements.
What is the central research question?
The study seeks to answer how and why the rejection of Hinduism among Untouchables became fundamentally intertwined with racial ideologies and the construction of a separate ethnic identity.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The work employs a historical and comparative analysis of socio-political movements and the intellectual history of key reformers, drawing upon existing academic literature and contemporary sources.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The text analyzes the influence of the Aryan Invasion Theory, the strategies of Mahatma Phule, the Dravidian ideologies of Periyar, and the varied approaches of Northern movements like Adi Hindu and Ad Dharm, culminating in a comparison with Ambedkar's views.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Central terms include Untouchables, Hinduism, Racial Ideologies, Brahminism, Caste System, Aryan Invasion Theory, and Identity Politics.
How does the author characterize the role of Mahatma Jotirao Phule?
Phule is portrayed as a pivotal reformer who utilized an ethnic-based framework to compare the plight of India's lower castes to the historical enslavement of Blacks in the USA, aiming to provide his people with a positive, non-Brahmin identity.
Why does the paper include B. R. Ambedkar as a contrast?
Ambedkar serves as a significant counter-example because, while he rejected Hinduism, he explicitly denied racial connotations and the Aryan Invasion Theory, favoring a "de-ethnicized" approach to social equality through conversion.
What is the significance of the "Adi" movements?
These movements were crucial in asserting that the Untouchables were the original inhabitants of India, using this claim to claim rights as the rightful owners of the land while dissociating from the Hindu social order.
- Citar trabajo
- Nejla Demirkaya (Autor), 2013, The Untouchables’ Rejection of Hinduism and its Relation to Racial Ideologies, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/307612
