Practice of Caste in USA: Discussion Series (Organized by Ambedkar King Study Circle)
Let’s Talk About Caste to Annihilate It!
From the website of Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC): https://akscusa.org/
The State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing(DFEH)’s lawsuit against Cisco Systems for caste discrimination recognizes a long-hidden malaise in the Indian diaspora. Even after complaints by the victim in November 2016 to the Cisco HR about ‘the discriminatory behavior’ of his so-called upper caste managers and subsequent inquiry and discussions, Cisco failed to take action, arguing that ‘caste discrimination is not unlawful‘. It is clear that caste conceited Indians who practice caste in their day-to-day life – having learned and brought it to America – carefully conceal their practices of caste discrimination and bigotry. Such devious concealment is accomplished partly by portraying Indians in the USA as a monolithic entity. It also shows that American corporates are unaware of the endemic practice of caste among Indians – in India and the diaspora.
The aim of this series is to encourage anti-caste Indians to openly discuss the practice of caste in the USA and to educate the broader American public about the caste system and the discriminatory practices that surreptitiously continue, especially among those working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
Join the discussion via ZOOM:
ZOOM MEETING ID: 850 7900 1150
URL: https://www.tinyurl.com/ConfAKSC
Schedule#2:
USA Pacific Time Zone: THU JUL 23, 2020 — 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (9:00 – 10:30 PM EST)
INDIA Time Zone: FRI JUL 24, 2020 — 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM
| NAME | DESCRIPTION | TITLE | MORE INFO |
| Dr. Ajantha Subramanian | Professor of Anthropology and of South Asian Studies. Chair – Department of Anthropology, Harvard University | How Caste Travels? | |
| Dr. Suraj Yengde | Post-Doc, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA | California State vs Cisco – Caste Discrimination Lawsuit: American Brahminic Fiasco | Dr. Suraj is an author of the bestseller book “Caste Matters”. Co-editor of “The Radical in Ambedkar – Critical Reflection” book |
Schedule#1: View video recording here
USA Pacific Time Zone: SAT JUL 18, 2020 — 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
INDIA Time Zone: SAT JUL 18, 2020 — 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM
| NAME | DESCRIPTION | TITLE | MORE INFO |
| Dr. Balmurli Natrajan | Professor of Anthropology at William Paterson University of New Jersey, USA. | Conceptualizing Casteism: Cause and Effect | Dr. Natrajan’s books include “Culturalization of Caste in India: Identity and Inequality in a Multicultural Age” (London: Routledge, 2011) on the persistence of caste in India today. |
| Dr. Murali Shanmugavelan | Researcher and consultant, London, UK | Everyday Caste-Speech, Practice, and Discrimination |
MORE WAYS TO PARTICIPATE TO ANNIHILATE PRACTICE OF CASTE
| Please sign: SOLIDARITY STATEMENT TO END CASTE PRACTICES IN SILICON VALLEY AND THE USA https://tinyurl.com/sol2ENDCaste | Please share: YOUR EXPERIENCE OR OBSERVATION OF CASTE PRACTICE IN THE USA https://tinyurl.com/sol2ENDCaste |
