The Syllabus
This syllabus assembles a wide variety of readings, both historical and contemporary, in order to enable scholarship in the emerging field of Critical Caste and Technology Studies. In particular, this syllabus analyses caste expression and oppression as a form of everyday communicative practice especially in the digital age. This syllabus is not a simple roadmap for a class schedule, rather, it has been designed as a broad-ranging collection of sources, categorised into thirteen topical threads, to be taken up as a resource by students and educators.
Each topic is deliberately focused and does not claim to be exhaustive. The reading lists are annotated, where possible and appropriate, to share context, significance, and the rationale for inclusion. The syllabus is not always alphabetised, especially when it introduces a new conceptual thread. We hope that this will enable the instructor to select reading materials tailored to different topics.
Finally, this syllabus is rooted in anti-caste political position. The academic objectivity of this syllabus lies in its accountability to stand in solidarity with Dalits, oppressed caste groups and other social minorities.
Each strand’s reading list aims to ensure that students have a nuanced understanding of the relationship between benign interactions and brutal manifestations of everyday casteism. Furthermore, the students will be able to appreciate that the decolonial is not restricted to changing (Western) regimes but is also a continuous liberatory struggle against oppressors within one's “home,” as demonstrated by Dalit resistance movements’ protests.