Where Does Caste Fit in A Global History of Racial Capitalism?
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Sheetal Chhabria in
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Abstract
This paper asks whether and how caste fits into a global history of racial capitalism. The mischaracterisation of caste as custom has long misled analysts and thwarted solidarities. Drawing on the insights of two important bodies of literature, this paper seeks to remedy that misdiagnosis and show that (1) caste abolition must be central to any effective anti-capitalist politics in South Asia, and (2) a focus on ‘local’ systems of racialisation like caste is necessary in any history of global racial capitalism. The two bodies of literature I engage with to achieve these aims are: scholarship on racial capitalism and scholarship on the Indian transition to capitalism. The result is an expanding of the geography of racial capitalism and the centring of caste-based unfreedoms as central to the history of capitalism in the Indian subcontinent.
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Where Does Caste Fit in A Global History of Racial Capitalism?
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Sheetal Chhabria in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This paper asks whether and how caste fits into a global history of racial capitalism. The mischaracterisation of caste as custom has long misled analysts and thwarted solidarities. Drawing on the insights of two important bodies of literature, this paper seeks to remedy that misdiagnosis and show that (1) caste abolition must be central to any effective anti-capitalist politics in South Asia, and (2) a focus on ‘local’ systems of racialisation like caste is necessary in any history of global racial capitalism. The two bodies of literature I engage with to achieve these aims are: scholarship on racial capitalism and scholarship on the Indian transition to capitalism. The result is an expanding of the geography of racial capitalism and the centring of caste-based unfreedoms as central to the history of capitalism in the Indian subcontinent.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1669 | 792 | 64 |
| Full Text Views | 850 | 420 | 7 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 1832 | 942 | 19 |
