Vikibnf: redirect created

2026-01-12T04:37:30Z

redirect created

New page

{{Short description|2019 book by Suraj Yengde}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Caste Matters
| image = Caste Matters.jpg
| caption =
| author = [[Suraj Yengde]]
| country = India
| language = English
| series =
| release_number =
| subject = [[Caste]], [[Dalit]] identity, [[Social justice]]
| genre = Non-fiction
| set_in =
| publisher = [[Penguin Random House|Penguin Random House India]]
| published = 15 July 2019
| media_type = Print
| pages = 304
| isbn = 978-9-353-05582-0
| isbn_note =
| oclc =
| dewey =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| notes =
| exclude_cover =
}}

'''''Caste Matters''''' is a 2019 non-fiction book by [[Dalit]] scholar and activist [[Suraj Yengde]], published by [[Penguin Random House|Penguin Random House India]] on 15 July 2019.<ref name="HinduLaunch">{{Cite news |last=Reporter |first= Special |date=15 July 2019 |title=Book on caste issues released |work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/book-on-caste-issues-released/article28693171.ece |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> It examines the persistence of [[caste]] in modern [[India]], focusing on Dalit identity, systemic oppression, and intersections with love, culture, and the global diaspora.<ref name="Nair">{{Cite news |last=Vaz |first=Urmi Chanda |date=15 August 2019 |title=Suraj Yengde's new book unapologetically calls out the caste elephant in every room in modern India |work=[[Scroll.in]] |url=https://scroll.in/article/937218/suraj-yengdes-new-book-unapologetically-calls-out-the-caste-elephant-in-every-room-in-modern-india |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141253/https://scroll.in/article/937218/suraj-yengdes-new-book-unapologetically-calls-out-the-caste-elephant-in-every-room-in-modern-india |url-status=live }}</ref> Combining personal narrative and sociological analysis, the book challenges caste denialism and advocates for Dalit emancipation.<ref name="Sampath">{{Cite news |last=Sampath |first=G. |date=26 October 2019 |title='Caste Matters' review: Dalit love and a new framework of conversations |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/caste-matters-review-dalit-love-and-a-new-framework-of-conversations/article29469463.ece |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=15 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115000523/https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/caste-matters-review-dalit-love-and-a-new-framework-of-conversations/article29469463.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> A [[Marathi language|Marathi]] translation was published in 2022, and the book’s [[Chennai]] launch included endorsements from figures like [[Kanhaiya Kumar]].<ref name="HinduLaunch" /><ref name="Nair" /> Critics praised its accessibility and bold approach, though some noted its occasionally fragmented structure.<ref name="Sampath" /><ref name="Nair" />

== Summary ==
''Caste Matters'' blends personal narrative with socio-political analysis to explore the [[caste system in India]]. Yengde, a first-generation Dalit scholar from [[Nanded]], [[Maharashtra]], recounts his experiences of caste-based discrimination, such as being reprimanded for using an upper-caste toilet during his childhood.<ref name="News18">{{Cite news |date=31 July 2019 |title=Book Excerpt: Dalit Scholar Suraj Yengde Tells You Why Caste Matters in His Latest Novel |work=[[News18]] |url=https://www.news18.com/news/books/book-excerpt-dalit-scholar-suraj-yengde-tells-you-why-caste-matters-in-his-latest-novel-2264189.html |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=23 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423215953/https://www.news18.com/news/books/book-excerpt-dalit-scholar-suraj-yengde-tells-you-why-caste-matters-in-his-latest-novel-2264189.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He critiques the systemic exclusion of Dalits in Indian institutions, including politics, bureaucracy, and the judiciary, attributing these barriers to the influence of [[Brahmanism]].<ref name="Wire">{{Cite news |last=Igole |first=Prashant |date=14 August 2019 |title=Suraj Yengde's 'Caste Matters' |work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/caste/suraj-yengde-caste-matters |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> Yengde introduces "Dalit love" as a concept of resilience and compassion rooted in Dalit community bonds, potentially drawing from [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] principles.<ref name="Sampath" />
The book also addresses internal divisions within the Dalit community, critiquing those who distance themselves from their Dalit identity or fail to support the broader anti-caste movement.<ref name="EPW">{{Cite journal |last=Rodrigues|first=Valerian |date=18 January 2020 |title=Being Dalit |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/3/book-reviews/being-dalit.html |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> Yengde draws parallels between caste oppression and global forms of discrimination, such as racism, and calls for solidarity among marginalized groups.<ref name="Newslaundry">{{Cite news |last=Team |first=NL |date=29 August 2020 |title=NL Interview: Suraj Yengde on his book Caste Matters, Dalit representation and caste deniers |work=[[Newslaundry]] |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/08/29/nl-interview-suraj-yengde-on-his-book-caste-matters-dalit-representation-and-caste-deniers |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=23 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423215933/https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/08/29/nl-interview-suraj-yengde-on-his-book-caste-matters-dalit-representation-and-caste-deniers |url-status=live }}</ref> He urges [[Brahmin]] allies to actively support the anti-caste struggle, citing historical examples of Brahmins who worked with [[Jyotirao Phule]] and [[B. R. Ambedkar]].<ref name="IndianExpress">{{Cite news |last=Goradia |first=Abha |date=24 August 2019 |title=Caste oppression reinventing itself: Dalit scholar Suraj Yengde at TISS |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/caste-oppression-reinventing-itself-dalit-scholar-suraj-yengde-tiss-5908141/ |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=23 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423220231/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/caste-oppression-reinventing-itself-dalit-scholar-suraj-yengde-tiss-5908141/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Development and release ==
Suraj Yengde wrote ''Caste Matters'' to address the lack of mainstream discourse on caste in India, inspired by the works of [[Jyotirao Phule]] and [[B. R. Ambedkar]].<ref name="LiveMint">{{Cite news |last=Badhawar |first=Natasha |date=23 August 2019 |title=The urgent impatience of Suraj Yengde |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|LiveMint]] |url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-urgent-impatience-of-suraj-yengde-1566555755323.html |access-date=21 April 2025 |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004003121/https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-urgent-impatience-of-suraj-yengde-1566555755323.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The book was published by [[Penguin Random House India]] on 22 July 2019 and launched at an event in [[Chennai]].<ref name="HinduLaunch" />

== Critical reception ==
''Caste Matters'' received generally positive reviews for its bold narrative and accessibility.
G. Sampath of ''[[The Hindu]]'' described it as a "significant intervention in discrimination studies," praising its appeal to Dalit readers and its potential to educate progressive savarnas about caste realities. The reviewer highlighted Yengde’s concept of "Dalit love" as a novel framework for understanding Dalit resilience, though noting that some readers might find it abstract.<ref name="Sampath" /> Urmi Chanda-Vaz of ''[[Scroll.in]]'' commended the book’s unapologetic tone, stating that it "calls out the caste elephant in every room" and effectively blends personal anecdotes with broader social critique.<ref name="Nair" /> The ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'' appreciated Yengde’s effort to globalize the Dalit narrative by drawing parallels with movements like [[Black Lives Matter]], but questioned the book’s occasional lack of historical nuance in its analysis of caste origins.<ref name="EPW" /> Reviewers also noted that Yengde’s generalizations about intra-Dalit dynamics, such as his critique of "elite Dalits," could be divisive within the community.<ref name="EPW" /><ref name="IndianExpress2">{{Cite news |last=Jodhka|first=Surinder S |date=22 September 2019 |title=One above the other |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/one-above-the-other-6014803/ |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Google Books|id=vn2jDwAAQBAJ}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2019 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Indian non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books about the caste system in India]]
[[Category:Dalit literature]]
[[Category:Penguin Random House books]]
[[Category:Books about B. R. Ambedkar]]
[[Category:Dalit history]]

Caste Matters - Revision history

Vikibnf: redirect created