The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation
Caste\u2014one of the oldest systems of exclusion in the world\u2014is thriving. Despite the ban on Untouchability 70 years ago, caste impacts 1.9 billion people in the world. Every 15 minutes, a crime is perpetrated against a Dalit person. The average age of death for Dalit women is just 39. And the wreckages of caste are replicated here in the U.S., too\u2014erupting online with rape and death threats, showing up at work, and forcing countless Dalits to live in fear of being outed.
\xa0Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan puts forth a call to awaken and act, not just for readers in South Asia, but all around the world. She ties Dalit oppression to fights for liberation among Black, Indigenous, Latinx, femme, and Queer communities, examining caste from a feminist, abolitionist, and Dalit Buddhist perspective--and laying bare the grief, trauma, rage, and stolen futures enacted by Brahminical social structures on the caste-oppressed. Incisive and urgent, \u201cThe Trauma of Caste\u201d is an activating beacon of healing and liberation, written by one of the world\u2019s most needed voices in the fight to end caste apartheid.
\xa0Learn more about the story and find the transcript on radioproject.org.
Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
EPISODE FEATURES: Thenmozhi Soundararajan, the author of \u201cThe Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition\u201d and a Dalit American artist, organizer, technologist, and theorist. Currently, Thenmozhi is the Executive Director of Equality Labs.
MAKING CONTACT: This episode is hosted by Anita Johnson. It is produced by Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Salima Hamirani, and Amy Gastelum. Our executive director is Jina Chung.\xa0
MUSIC: This episode includes music from Blue Dot Sessions, including \u201c3rd Chair" and "Paving Stones."
Learn More: