Nonfiction

The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition

The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition

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  • Create Date：2022-12-02 17:21:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Thenmozhi Soundararajan
  • ISBN：B09SKJSLNW
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Summary

For readers of Caste and Radical Dharma， an urgent call to action to end caste apartheid， grounded in Dalit feminist abolition and engaged Buddhism。

“Dalit” is the name that we chose for ourselves when Brahminism declared us “untouchable。” Dalit means broken。 Broken by suffering。 Broken by caste: the world’s oldest， longest-running dominator system…yet although “Dalit” means broken， it also means resilient。

Despite its ban more than 70 years ago， caste is thriving。 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—erupting online with rape and death threats， showing up at work， and forcing countless Dalits to live in fear of being outed。

Dalit 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。

Soundararajan’s work includes embodiment exercises， reflections， and meditations to help readers explore their own relationship to caste and marginalization—and to step into their power as healing activists and changemakers。 She offers skills for cultivating wellness within dynamics of false separation， sharing how both oppressor and oppressed can heal the wounds of caste and transform collective suffering。

Incisive and urgent， The Trauma of Caste is an activating beacon of healing and liberation， written by one of the world’s most needed voices in the fight to end caste apartheid。

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Reviews

Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore ，

My thanks to North Atlantic Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book。In The Trauma of Caste， Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan considers caste discrimination， one of the oldest systems of discrimination in the world， and its horrific and scarring impacts on millions， not only in South Asia with which the system is associated but also amongst the diaspora in America and other parts of the world。 The book explores not only the broader impacts of caste discrimination and the My thanks to North Atlantic Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book。In The Trauma of Caste， Dalit American activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan considers caste discrimination， one of the oldest systems of discrimination in the world， and its horrific and scarring impacts on millions， not only in South Asia with which the system is associated but also amongst the diaspora in America and other parts of the world。 The book explores not only the broader impacts of caste discrimination and the various ways it wounds， damages， and breaks its targets， but addresses it at the individual level highlighting how the wounds pass on through generations， the challenges and persistent dangers that the oppressed and indeed wider society continue to be faced with today， and also the journey of healing （not simply the pursuit of justice， though this can be healing too）， where spirituality， love， and solidarity play key roles。The core text of the book is divided into four meditations， structured around the facts and beliefs that caste is an extant truth; that it is a human creation; that there are paths towards freedom or healing; and that the system can be brought to an end。 In these meditations， the author considers the fact of caste and the trauma that it gives rise to in the caste oppressed， historical aspects including its treatment in mythology and how it has found its way into or into the practice of even religions which do not in essence accept such divisions， how it plays out in certain areas like the digital space， adds to other factors like gender to exacerbate vulnerability and harm， and also how the system has become replicated even in places not traditionally associated with the system。 In these explorations， the author incorporates her and her family’s own experiences and wounds， and also considers her own path to healing as well as steps that need to be taken to bring and end to this system。 Four appendices look into renowned activists and contributors to the Dalit struggle; spiritual aspects; facts on caste violence and socioeconomic indicators; and provide worksheets to address each person’s experience whether from a dominant or oppressed caste。I became interested in exploring this book essentially because a few months ago I read volume on Dalit studies （a manuscript I copyedited） which provided a detailed look into several issues and aspects concerning the community， from politics and socioeconomic indicators， to the digital space， music and cinema， journalism， and the issue of reparations among others。 This was a book that I found very informative and eye-opening， and one aspect it indirectly alerted me to （through a brief discussion by one contributor）， and of which I was not at all aware， was caste discrimination amongst the diaspora。 So of course， when I came across this book， I was keen to read it。 And indeed， it was these discussions that were most revealing for me。 Soundarajan highlights how the caste and related discrimination travelled almost with the first immigrants， with immigrant agricultural labourers in the United States and Canada continuing to practice untouchability （like not eating meals in the same place as Dalit workers） in the early nineteenth century， or how dominant caste immigrants in the early twentieth century argued on grounds of their ‘high’ caste against naturalization laws which excluded them， to more modern day instances including the recent （2020） caste discrimination case in Cisco。 On a more personal level， Soundararajan experienced it in her own interactions with other South Asians even when as a child she revealed her caste unwittingly to a friend。More broadly， the book highlights not only the violence and trauma that the caste oppressed continue to face in South Asia and across the globe， but also how these wounds are really in the nature of soul wounds which continue on， across generations。 She also explores the idea of how other issues we face today like environmental damage are related to structural processes of exploitation （an idea also written about by Françoise Vergès in A Feminist Theory of Violence where she argues that no form of violence can be addressed separately from other forms）。 Soundararajan also encourages her readers to consider their own relationship to caste， the attitudes and ideas for instance one might have imbibed from one’s upbringing or experiences。 I found I learned a lot from this book especially about caste discrimination amongst the immigrant community， and the author’s urging each one of us to consider our own connections and beliefs on caste and also appreciated her sharing her and her family’s story and trauma which wouldn’t have been an easy thing to do。 However， while she talks about healing， paths to end the system of caste， as well as measures like affirmative action or the availability of spaces for Dalits to express their opinions and raise their issues in the digital space for instance， the book overall left me feeling somewhat despairing and bleak。 While the issues and challenges that the author highlights are no doubt ones that are significant and need to be urgently addressed， I felt that steps and developments from which one can draw hope of improvement are equally relevant in encouraging the fight against caste and casteism but somehow her critique of these （either their flaws or the challenges that are threatening them） came though more strongly than the hope one can draw from them。 Affirmative action/reservation schemes have their shortcomings and may be insufficient as she points out but they have enabled many to improve their socioeconomic position and can be seen as a first step; alternative media and the digital space （as she acknowledges） have enabled Dalit voices to be heard and issues to be raised; Dalit cinema and music have enabled stories to be told; there are small but significant victories against the corporate exploitation of indigenous land like the Niyamgiri case （which upheld tribal rights over their own lands）。 And we can draw encouragement from these。 Also， in her profiles of activists and figures who have contributed to the Dalit struggle， Kanshi Ram （mentioned briefly elsewhere in the text） I felt ought to also have been included with his DS-4 （Dalit Shoshit Samak Sangharsh Samiti） which helped empower and build solidarity among Dalits。 I was glad to have read this book and appreciated much in it; while it does provide both a basic understanding of the issue and the impacts and challenges that need to be addressed， for myself I felt reading the other volume first， which discussed a larger range of themes， highlighting issues and challenges but also hopes and aspirations， helped me contextualize the discussion here better。 3。5 stars 。。。more

（a）lyss（a） ，

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is a great and informative read！This book talks about the history of caste， its social impacts， and the mental and socioeconomic realities of the caste system。 Soundararajan does a great job of showing us both the macro and the micro - the big picture of the issues with the caste system， but also the individual impacts it's had on her life and the lives of others。 This book explicitly lays out the trauma of be I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is a great and informative read！This book talks about the history of caste， its social impacts， and the mental and socioeconomic realities of the caste system。 Soundararajan does a great job of showing us both the macro and the micro - the big picture of the issues with the caste system， but also the individual impacts it's had on her life and the lives of others。 This book explicitly lays out the trauma of being untouchable including violence and abuse similar to racism， sexism， and religious oppression。Soundararajan shares how caste impacts life even outside of India including in the tech world and how the caste system harms everyone。 The book is written in a way that you don't need to know anything about the caste system as there's enough history and context to explain how the problems have gotten so dire and where they came from。 Soundararajan also talks about how caste discrimination mirrors other acts of violence around the world like genocide， but was surprised that the recent genocide in Tigray wasn't mentioned as an example。 This book is a great overview of why the caste system should be abolished。 。。。more

Akedhar ，

The Trauma of Caste is an excellent introduction to caste for non-South Asians who might be unfamiliar with the concept but， especially， and， perhaps most importantly， for caste privileged South Asians like myself who were never taught about the history of caste let alone how it continues to operate in South Asia and the diaspora。 Part memoir， part history， part caste abolitionist primer， Soundarajan walks us through what caste is， its origins in Brahmanism， its intersection with gender， the env The Trauma of Caste is an excellent introduction to caste for non-South Asians who might be unfamiliar with the concept but， especially， and， perhaps most importantly， for caste privileged South Asians like myself who were never taught about the history of caste let alone how it continues to operate in South Asia and the diaspora。 Part memoir， part history， part caste abolitionist primer， Soundarajan walks us through what caste is， its origins in Brahmanism， its intersection with gender， the environment， and technology， and its annihilation。 Throughout， she shows us that the most damaging and lasting effect of caste is that it has divided us， severing our connections with each other and with our own humanity。 As Soundarajan writes， “The dehumanization of caste destroys everyone。” There is no South Asian who has not been touched by the effects of caste。What makes this book stand apart is Soundarajan’s deeply passionate and compassionate voice， which offers an unflinching， unwavering critique of caste apartheid while at the same time modeling a pathway forward by fiercely advocating for the healing possibilities of radical love in the face of oppression。 A Dalit feminist and practicing Buddhist， she approaches caste apartheid and caste abolition through the principles of discernment， loving kindness， and mindfulness and writes from a place of personal experience， bringing vulnerability and depth to her discussion of the somatic， psychic， and spiritual violence of caste。 Whether you know nothing about caste or think you know something about it， I guarantee you will learn something new about caste and about yourself after reading this book！ It is not only informative but also inspirational， an urgent call to collective action and collective healing from the traumas of caste。 。。。more

Manmit Chahal ，

This is one of the most powerful and emotional books I've read！ I'm a graduate student in Ethnic Studies and found this book to be very accessible and relevant to audiences in Ethnic Studies， Asian American Studies， South Asian Studies， and Feminist Studies。 It's one of the first books written by a Dalit American about caste in the U。S。 and it is written so prophetically and beautifully。 A very powerful reflection and an urgent must-read especially in the current moment where India is on multipl This is one of the most powerful and emotional books I've read！ I'm a graduate student in Ethnic Studies and found this book to be very accessible and relevant to audiences in Ethnic Studies， Asian American Studies， South Asian Studies， and Feminist Studies。 It's one of the first books written by a Dalit American about caste in the U。S。 and it is written so prophetically and beautifully。 A very powerful reflection and an urgent must-read especially in the current moment where India is on multiple genocide watch lists and we are witnessing a rise of right-wing authoritarianism across the world！ 。。。more

Gia ，

Thenmozhi Soundararajan combines a critical examination of casteism with a fierce， abolitionist love。 As an Indian-American savarna， I really appreciate the opportunity to read her work and draw what lessons I can to help build a future free of caste apartheid。 This book is both a foundational addition to the existing body of work by Dalit authors and a call for the world to welcome & celebrate incoming Dalit writers on an international stage。 I hope to read this book many more times， underline， Thenmozhi Soundararajan combines a critical examination of casteism with a fierce， abolitionist love。 As an Indian-American savarna， I really appreciate the opportunity to read her work and draw what lessons I can to help build a future free of caste apartheid。 This book is both a foundational addition to the existing body of work by Dalit authors and a call for the world to welcome & celebrate incoming Dalit writers on an international stage。 I hope to read this book many more times， underline， take notes， etc and I hope everyone I know will do the same。 Jai Bhim！ 。。。more

Syntaxx ，

Miigweetch NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。This is a non-fiction account of casteism， told from the perspective of a Dalit woman， a member of the so-called “untouchable” caste。 It's the author’s response to the inter-generational pain of caste and explores ideas for how society can separate， and ultimately heal， from this violence。 During quarantine， one of my go-to background noise TV shows was “Indian Matchmaking”， a re Miigweetch NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。This is a non-fiction account of casteism， told from the perspective of a Dalit woman， a member of the so-called “untouchable” caste。 It's the author’s response to the inter-generational pain of caste and explores ideas for how society can separate， and ultimately heal， from this violence。 During quarantine， one of my go-to background noise TV shows was “Indian Matchmaking”， a reality show that spanned for two seasons and focused on the efforts of an arranged matchmaker working with young Indian singles living both in Indian and America。 In trying to learn more about the culture I was seeing portrayed on the show， I stumbled onto many discussions of caste， which is what drew me to this book and led me to requesting it。 I am extremely grateful to the author for sharing her experiences， at great personal expense to herself and her safety。 Being an activist for Dalit causes - which live in direct opposition to the barbaric idea of casteism - comes at a cost。This book is trying to be a lot of things to a lot of people: a feminist meditation on how to heal cycles of inter-generational trauma， an introductory course to caste and Brahmanism， and much more。 At times the structure and flow buckle under the weight of these expectations， nevertheless， more conversations about caste need to be happening in order for change to occur。 For that reason I believe this is an incredibly necessary and important work。 The idea of spiritual sanctioned slavery is shocking to me; I simply could not believe how ubiquitous caste is even among the South-East Asian diaspora and how rarely talked it’s about。 The fact that people are being trafficked and sold into slavery in the United States of America in 2022 because of caste， can be denied work because of caste， and yet our laws offer no protections against this discrimination because caste is not named？ This must change。 。。。more

Ashley Hart ，

This was an amazing explanation of the caste system as well as the horrifying realities of the Dalits throughout south Asia and those of the diaspora。 I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。

Prakarsha Pilla ，

Thenmozhi Soundararajan， whom you might be knowing as @dalitdiva on instagram， is a Tamil immigrant in the USA。 She writes about how casteism is practiced among immigrants too and how it affects their lifestyle and mental health， among other things。 She works through her organisation， Equality Labs， to create awareness in the USA about caste discrimination that Indians face in universities and offices。 She also gives instances of how she felt like an outsider at numerous places because of her ca Thenmozhi Soundararajan， whom you might be knowing as @dalitdiva on instagram， is a Tamil immigrant in the USA。 She writes about how casteism is practiced among immigrants too and how it affects their lifestyle and mental health， among other things。 She works through her organisation， Equality Labs， to create awareness in the USA about caste discrimination that Indians face in universities and offices。 She also gives instances of how she felt like an outsider at numerous places because of her caste。 She documents the anti-caste movements in the diaspora and how， at each level， they faced resistance。 She also focuses on the events in India in the last few years and their affect on the themes of this book。 Her work is direct， on-point and with a strong conviction for everything she says。 Her writing apparently stems from extensive research alongside personal experience。 Because when we talk about social justice， experiences of living people are as vital as past research。I believe that to get a better understanding of this book， one should have basic knowledge of caste system and its consequences。 Then it would be easier to read the impact of caste on Indian diaspora。 For example， she wrote about casteism in various religions， which I didn't know until I read this。 The author also narrates the impact of caste on other aspects of social justice like police， law， etc。 which I already had a basic idea about。 It is always better to learn about sensitive topics like these from someone's experiences than from the internet and media。What I liked about this book is how she questions those who presume that they aren't casteist。 She makes us realise that casteism is practiced in indirect ways so nobody elaborates on casteism like how they do racism and sexism。It is a short read and can be read in one or two times。 The english and the narration are simple enough so anyone can go for it。 Thank you for the review copy on Netgalley。 My review is voluntary。 。。。more

Nushki ，

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book。As someone who is trying to find their place in Hinduism， I found this book enlightening。 This is a powerful book that really delves into the realities of life for dalits and the marginalisation of regular people due to inane rules。It was fascinating to learn about the history of caste and caste based privilege， and then go on to learn about caste discrimination in modern South Asia and the diaspora in the west。Soundararajan has an eloquent and pass Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book。As someone who is trying to find their place in Hinduism， I found this book enlightening。 This is a powerful book that really delves into the realities of life for dalits and the marginalisation of regular people due to inane rules。It was fascinating to learn about the history of caste and caste based privilege， and then go on to learn about caste discrimination in modern South Asia and the diaspora in the west。Soundararajan has an eloquent and passionate voice and I recommend this book for anyone interested in the realities of Hinduism。 。。。more

Janie ，

Thanks to Netgalley and North Atlantic Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ This was a fantastic book - I'm not Hindu， and even as an Indian American I've always felt disconnected from the concept of caste， until I went back to India a few years back and heard my relatives talking about someone being in a different caste than us。 I didn't realize we were even considered part of the caste system， much less that anyone in our family actually took it at any value - o Thanks to Netgalley and North Atlantic Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ This was a fantastic book - I'm not Hindu， and even as an Indian American I've always felt disconnected from the concept of caste， until I went back to India a few years back and heard my relatives talking about someone being in a different caste than us。 I didn't realize we were even considered part of the caste system， much less that anyone in our family actually took it at any value - obviously this book doesn't heavily delve into Kerala and Christians in the caste system （though it definitely mentions it）， but it's a fantastic and well-needed piece。 There's so much about caste that gets unsaid by our community， and even less caste-oppressed voices that are given the chance to actually speak about it。 I'll definitely have to reread this book in the future - I wasn't really in the mood for a nonfiction piece unfortunately so I think I'd just absorb more with reading it when I'm in the mood， but even with that I found myself interested in this book， and I think it's just an overall great book to read， so thanks again to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read it。 。。。more

Reading_ Tamishly ，

My most anticipated non-fiction release of the year 2022！ And I am quite impressed。 Yes， live and let live！Thank you， North Atlantic Books， for the advance reading copy。I have been actively searching for a up-to-date adult nonfiction read on Dalit and discrimination towards people of certain caste or community。 This book answered my prayers and I got it right during the time I am really concerned about these issues。Four main sections with extra parts。 I love the presentation and compilation of e My most anticipated non-fiction release of the year 2022！ And I am quite impressed。 Yes， live and let live！Thank you， North Atlantic Books， for the advance reading copy。I have been actively searching for a up-to-date adult nonfiction read on Dalit and discrimination towards people of certain caste or community。 This book answered my prayers and I got it right during the time I am really concerned about these issues。Four main sections with extra parts。 I love the presentation and compilation of each part。 The book starts with the basic description of how caste exists and the source of it。 I do feel this is the part （the first two sections） which is most important。 Even if you don't have much time to read this book cover to cover， please read the first two sections。 They have all the basic explanations and answers why and how caste exist。Beyond that， the book further discuss on how this caste system affect our culture， how it affects gender and violence， how we are all affected as a whole because of its unwanted influence。The third and the fourth sections deal with the harmful effects of the caste system， specially of the discrimination and violence faced by the Dalits。 The last section deals with how we can end this。 Even though laws are there， it is not easy and practical as it sounds to get support and protection。 It will take time。 It will take generations and generations to abolish a system which costs lives。 It's books like this which will actually spread awareness and the much needed basic information。 The harm is already done more so because of the fact that we aren't as knowledgeable and informed as we think about this issue。Kudos to the author for this book。 If possible， this book needs to be read as a part of our educational syllabus。 Thank you， North Atlantic Books， for the advance reading copy。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0