Anticaste

Anti-caste refers to social, political, and intellectual movements and ideologies that challenge caste-based hierarchy and untouchability, seeking equality, dignity, and equal access to resources and opportunities. While rooted in South Asia, anti-caste thought and activism have influenced global discussions on caste, race, and discrimination and are studied in sociology, anthropology, and postcolonial studies.

Historically, anti-caste currents emerged alongside broader reform movements in India and nearby regions. In the 19th century, reformers such as Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule advocated education and social reform to uplift marginalized groups. In the 20th century, B. R. Ambedkar argued for legal and constitutional protections and championed the annihilation of caste, promoting conversion to Buddhism as a strategy to escape hereditary oppression. The Tamil reformer Periyar and the broader Dalit movement further organized around education, land, labor rights, and political representation. Anti-caste thought also engages with religious reform, challenging scriptural justifications of caste and promoting inclusive interpretations.

Goals and methods typically include ending untouchability and caste-based discrimination, expanding access to education and public resources, securing political representation, and reforming or redefining religious and social practices. Tactics have encompassed legal action, advocacy, mass mobilization, literary and artistic production, and, at times, conversions or alternative religious pathways as a means to escape caste oppression. Legal frameworks in India, such as constitutional prohibitions on untouchability and anti-discrimination laws, provide mechanisms for redress and affirmative action programs.

Contemporary anti-caste discourse continues to address persistent inequalities, while engaging debates about strategy, identity, and the balance between cultural freedoms and social reform. It also features global echoes in diaspora communities and comparative studies of caste-like hierarchies elsewhere.