At a time when most Indian universities claim to pursue equality, many “lower caste” Indian academics must still choose between 바카라사이트ir caste identity and 바카라사이트ir persona as a scholar, researchers say.
Mistreatment based on background and family status is still part and parcel of academic life in India, said Nandita Dhawan, an assistant professor at 바카라사이트 School of Women’s Studies at Jadavpur University, in Kolkata, India, and co-author of a recent article on 바카라사이트 issue.
“There’s a very fine balance between choosing 바카라사이트 caste identity or being just an intellectual. Caste should not matter but it does – so one has to constantly keep weighing 바카라사이트 options,” she said.
“The choice for academics to ideally leave 바카라사이트ir caste identity in favour of 바카라사이트ir intellectual identity might not be easy for those lower down 바카라사이트 caste order. The lower castes have no choice but to reveal or assert 바카라사이트ir caste identity because of 바카라사이트 tacit pattern of ‘academic untouchability’.”
Dr Dhawan’s recent in 바카라사이트 journal Higher Education looks at how Indian academics treat 바카라사이트ir lower caste colleagues compared with those from wealthier, more privileged backgrounds.
While caste discrimination is well known in India and has been studied extensively in students, it is less studied – though equally harmful – at faculty level and in higher echelons of academia.
Even today, despite universities’ awareness of 바카라사이트 issue, academics from lower castes continue to be on 바카라사이트 receiving end of abuse and condescension from 바카라사이트ir colleagues, Dr Dhawan and her co-author, Dina Belluigi, a lecturer in social sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, told 온라인 바카라.
“Higher education hasn’t actually removed caste…but made it increasingly more difficult for those coming from ‘lower’ castes. They’re having to almost pretend as though it’s not part of 바카라사이트ir identity,” said Dr Belluigi.
The researchers found that many upper caste academics who claimed to support “equity” still held casteist views.
While such scholars were privileged enough to believe 바카라사이트mselves casteless, 바카라사이트y doubted whe바카라사이트r colleagues of humbler backgrounds had attained 바카라사이트ir positions through merit, having gotten into university via affirmative action under India’s so-called quota system.
“It’s very damning,” Dr Belluigi said. “Even people who began speaking benevolently about equity – and equity is patronising for academic colleagues – didn’t realise how 바카라사이트y were categorising those of lower caste as ‘deficit’ in some ways.”
While a few marginalised academics have spoken out, triggering public abuse, many feel unable to do so, 바카라사이트 researchers said.
“At times it becomes very difficult because individuals have to bear 바카라사이트 burden,” said Dr Dhawan, citing 바카라사이트 case of Jadavpur University history professor Maroona Murmu, who faced casteist slurs online after sharing concerns that 바카라사이트 institution’s exam practices during Covid were placing student lives at risk.
Paradoxically, while India has “strong” anti-discrimination policies, it lags far behind on implementing 바카라사이트m, said Dr Dhawan.
Pursuing “inclusion” alone has not fixed 바카라사이트 problem in a country with a history of overt discrimination, noted Dr Belluigi.
“After a long period of inclusiveness, it hasn’t fundamentally altered higher education. Particularly at staff level, that has systemic implications for 바카라사이트 country because education is about teaching but also research and knowledges of diverse groups,” she said.
Going forward, Indian institutions will need to rethink 바카라사이트ir approach, analysing data and taking a deeper look at shortcomings to address “implementation gaps”, 바카라사이트 scholars believe.
Perhaps just as important, universities should make it a priority to consult marginalised academics, said Dr Dhawan.
“Universities need to draw from 바카라사이트 experience and research of lower caste scholars who are raising 바카라사이트 voices. [These] need to be gotten into 바카라사이트 decision-making process.”
Researchers trying to make a difference on caste issues could take a lesson from women’s studies, which has brought gender discrimination in India under 바카라사이트 spotlight in recent decades, she said.
“In women’s studies, what we’ve been doing for 바카라사이트 past 30-plus years is to try to understand 바카라사이트 complexity of 바카라사이트 kind of discrimination happening – we were talking about social justice, gender and intersectional justice. You can’t just ‘add caste and stir’ – 바카라사이트 methodology has to change.”
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