Race, Caste, and Hunger
The caste-based hierarchy is the oldest form of systemic social discrimination, that has furthered the sustained oppression of thousands. Though older conceptually than race, caste-based discrimination in both culture and practice has multiple parallels with the construct of race. The considerations of ongoing struggles between communities marginalized based on identity markers such as caste and race, are rooted in notions of birth, ethnicity, and “purity.” Governments, policy, and even legislation has ensured the deliberate dismissal of specific lower[ed] communities in India that is not dissimilar to the experiences of those erased because of racial bias in the United States. This Essay provides some context to the history and structure of caste in India and contends that caste-based discrimination is a form racial discrimination. This Essay will illustrate this by comparing and contrasting experiences of caste with race through the lens of both domestic law and International Law. Finally, to investigate a specific dimension to the subject matter, this Essay will present some evidence of the practice of discrimination in the politics of food and nutrition.
Recommended Citation: Ramya Jawahar Kudekallu, Race, Caste, and Hunger, 43 Fordham Int'l L.J. 1103 (2020).