Caste: The Origin of our Discontents Book Study Group
Next Session: Wednesday, March 31, 7;00pm EST
Read Part Six p. 358-end
Register for future sessions to get reminders: OMO Eventbrite
Read Part Six p. 358-end
Register for future sessions to get reminders: OMO Eventbrite
Supplementary Materials:
January 19 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Two
February 3 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Three:
February 17 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Four:
March 3 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Five:
March 17 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Six:
- How to be An Anti-Casteist NPR's Rough Translation Podcast, Season 4, Episode 2, audio or transcript
"In this episode, host Gregory Warner and NPR's India correspondent Lauren Frayer take us into a debate over a system of privilege that is coded in one's career, last name, religion and dietary restrictions. We meet Indian Americans who are considering how their experiences with caste relate to the American pursuit of racial justice. How far does caste discrimination go inside South Asian communities in the U.S.? And how far should companies and individuals in the U.S. go to combat it? "
Additional Context from this NPR piece:
-Read Mauktik Kulkarni's essay on how racial violence in the US made him reflect on his privileged caste upbringing.
-In Part 1 of his series, "Caste in America," investigative reporter Phillip Martin follows Harvard scholar Suraj Yengde back to his hometown in India to understand what life is like for Dalits there.
-Lauren Frayer reports on how the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked conversations about skin lightening and colorism in India.
-In his book, Caste Matters, scholar Suraj Yengde describes his experiences growing up Dalit, a historical analysis of caste and the many challenges still facing Dalits in India today. - The US Needs a Radical Revolution of Values by Dr. Bernice King on TED Talks
- Oprah's Book Club: Caste: Isabel Wilkerson
January 19 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Two
- Mortality Rate for Black Babies is Cut Dramatically When Black Doctors Care for Them After Birth by Tonya Russell, The Washington Post
- Racial History of Swimming in the US:
- In a recent study from the YMCA, it's estimated that 64% of African American children cannot swim, compared to 40% of White American children
- The History of Racial Discrimination in Contested Waters as a Snapshot of Prevailing Sorrow from Swimming World Magazine
- Swimming While Black from The Conversation
February 3 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Three:
- Capitol riot suspect asks to leave USA on vacation, USA Today
- What OJ Simpson's Acquittal Meant to Black People, The Atlantic
- The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy Tyson
- A Catalyst for Humanity: A Conversation with Isabel Wilkerson, Don Lemon and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (YouTube)
February 17 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Four:
- Enslaved African Onesimus and the roots of vaccines, The Washington Post
- Alleged Assault of Jussie Smollett, Wikipedia
- Susan Smith's false claim that a Black man had kidnapped her sons during a carjacking, Wikipedia
- Crack: Cocaine, Corruption, & Conspiracy documentary on Netflix
March 3 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Five:
- Dr. King's speech "I'm Black and Beautiful", YouTube
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, PDF
- 'Weathering': The health effects of stress and discrimination, Medical News Today
- Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit by Mary-Frances Winters
- What Would You Do? with John Quinones, YouTube
March 17 Materials Mentioned in the Discussion for Part Six:
- Amend: The Fight for America documentary series, Netflix
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson hosted by Rick McCray and Jessica Mahajan
Using Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents as a starting point, OMO will explore the topics of the hidden and not-so-hidden hierarchies which define our society. We will discuss the chapters from the book and dive deeper into each section with related articles, documentaries, and podcasts (assigned prior to the next session).
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
Study Group Reading Assignments:
January 6: Introduction to the Author and to Caste, read Part 1 (to p. 35)
January 19: Caste Part Two (p.36-96)
February 3: Caste Part Three (p. 97-164)
February 17: Caste Part Four (p. 165-260)
March 3: Caste Part Five (p. 261-308)
March 17: Caste Part Six (p. 309-357)
March 31: Caste Part Seven (p. 358-395)
Using Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents as a starting point, OMO will explore the topics of the hidden and not-so-hidden hierarchies which define our society. We will discuss the chapters from the book and dive deeper into each section with related articles, documentaries, and podcasts (assigned prior to the next session).
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
Study Group Reading Assignments:
January 6: Introduction to the Author and to Caste, read Part 1 (to p. 35)
January 19: Caste Part Two (p.36-96)
February 3: Caste Part Three (p. 97-164)
February 17: Caste Part Four (p. 165-260)
March 3: Caste Part Five (p. 261-308)
March 17: Caste Part Six (p. 309-357)
March 31: Caste Part Seven (p. 358-395)
Session 1: January 6, 7:00pm EST
Read to page 35
Read to page 35
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00pm EST
Read pages 36-96
Read pages 36-96
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Wednesday, February 3, 7:00pm EST
Read pages 97-164
Read pages 97-164
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Wednesday, February 17, 7:00pm EST
Read pages 165-260
Read pages 165-260
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Wednesday, March 3, 7:00pm EST
Read pages 165-260
Read pages 165-260
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Wednesday, March 17, 7:00pm EST
Read pages 165-260
Read pages 165-260