''Caste Matters'' is a 2019 non-fiction book by

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

scholar and activist

Suraj Yengde Suraj Milind Yengde (born 1988) is an Indian scholar and activist known for his work on caste and race. He is a W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow at Harvard University and a research associate in the Department of African and African American Studies. He ...

, published by

Penguin Random House India Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was originally founded in 1935 and Random House was fou ...

on 15 July 2019. It examines the persistence of

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

in modern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, focusing on Dalit identity, systemic oppression, and intersections with love, culture, and the global diaspora. Combining personal narrative and sociological analysis, the book challenges caste denialism and advocates for Dalit emancipation. A

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

translation was published in 2022, and the book’s

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

launch included endorsements from figures like

Kanhaiya Kumar Kanhaiya Kumar (born January 1987) is an Indian political activist who served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union and leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF). He served as National Executive Council m ...

. Critics praised its accessibility and bold approach, though some noted its occasionally fragmented structure.

Summary

''Caste Matters'' blends personal narrative with socio-political analysis to explore the

caste system in India The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic instance of social classification based on castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, espe ...

. Yengde, a first-generation Dalit scholar from

Nanded Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the List of cities in Maharashtra, tenth largest city in the state and the List of cities in India by population, seventy-ninth most populated city in India. It is the second largest city in ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, recounts his experiences of caste-based discrimination, such as being reprimanded for using an upper-caste toilet during his childhood. He critiques the systemic exclusion of Dalits in Indian institutions, including politics, bureaucracy, and the judiciary, attributing these barriers to the influence of

Brahmanism The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedism or Brahmanism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontin ...

. Yengde introduces "Dalit love" as a concept of resilience and compassion rooted in Dalit community bonds, potentially drawing from

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

principles. The book also addresses internal divisions within the Dalit community, critiquing those who distance themselves from their Dalit identity or fail to support the broader anti-caste movement. Yengde draws parallels between caste oppression and global forms of discrimination, such as racism, and calls for solidarity among marginalized groups. He urges

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

allies to actively support the anti-caste struggle, citing historical examples of Brahmins who worked with

Jyotirao Phule Jyotirao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890), also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including eradication of ...

and

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

Development and release

Suraj Yengde wrote ''Caste Matters'' to address the lack of mainstream discourse on caste in India, inspired by the works of

and

. The book was published by

on 22 July 2019 and launched at an event in

Critical reception

''Caste Matters'' received generally positive reviews for its bold narrative and accessibility. G. Sampath of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' described it as a "significant intervention in discrimination studies," praising its appeal to Dalit readers and its potential to educate progressive savarnas about caste realities. The reviewer highlighted Yengde’s concept of "Dalit love" as a novel framework for understanding Dalit resilience, though noting that some readers might find it abstract. Urmi Chanda-Vaz of ''

Scroll.in Scroll.in, simply referred to as Scroll, is an Indian digital news publication. Founded in 2014, it is owned by SCSN Pvt Ltd. History Background Samir Patil, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus and McKinsey & Company associate wa ...

'' commended the book’s unapologetic tone, stating that it "calls out the caste elephant in every room" and effectively blends personal anecdotes with broader social critique. The ''

Economic and Political Weekly The ''Economic and Political Weekly'' (EPW) is a weekly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all social sciences, and is published by the Sameeksha Trust. In January 2018, academic Gopal Guru was named the new Editor of the journal. Guru will be ...

'' appreciated Yengde’s effort to globalize the Dalit narrative by drawing parallels with movements like

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

, but questioned the book’s occasional lack of historical nuance in its analysis of caste origins. Reviewers also noted that Yengde’s generalizations about intra-Dalit dynamics, such as his critique of "elite Dalits," could be divisive within the community.

References

External links

* {{Google Books, id=vn2jDwAAQBAJ 2019 non-fiction books Indian non-fiction books Books about the caste system in India Dalit literature Penguin Random House books Books about B. R. Ambedkar Dalit history