(Re)-production of caste in the classroom: a Dalit perspective

Abstract

This study explores caste discrimination in Indian higher education through curriculum and pedagogical approaches in the classroom. Classrooms in India have not only played a significant role in knowledge production but have also been (re)-producing caste-based prejudice, discrimination, and social inequalities, both inside and outside the Indian education system. On the basis of the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 Dalit students, the study explores the caste dynamics operating within the classrooms of universities based in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India. The aim of the study is to understand what a ‘classroom’ means to Dalit students at a university situated in a caste-ridden hierarchical society. It seeks to determine how the pedagogical practices and curriculum play a crucial role in producing and reproducing a hierarchy of knowledge and re-enforce caste-based social inequality. The study argues that Dalit students do not passively accept their fate but tend to organise and resist caste practices in higher education. Also, they advocate for diversity in curricula and pedagogy to make higher education more accessible, inclusive, and democratic.