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Caste System and Resistance: The Case of Untouchable Hindu Sweepers in Bangladesh

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Abstract

This paper studies Hindu untouchable sweepers of Bangladesh, using a case study of two sweeper communities in Dhaka city. Due to their untouchability, Hindu sweepers in Bangladesh have historically been subjected to discrimination and marginalisation, and are deprived of choices such as free selection of occupation, access to housing, education and other benefits. Contending with the conventional notion that Hinduism maintains social order by caste hierarchies and divisions of labour, this shows how the sweepers of Dhaka city respond to the notion of untouchability and show resistance to caste discrimination. This paper also argues that it is not only a Hindu religious ideology but also historical, colonial, economic, political and social aspects of caste-based discrimination that can explain construction of the notion of Dalit and the marginalisation and resistance of Bangladeshi sweepers.

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Notes

  1. The term ‘dalit’ is not widely accepted among the sweepers. Some sweepers use the term ‘Harijan’ to identify themselves (See Sultana 2014, 147–149 for further discussion).

  2. The term was first coined by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar during the British rule (Bob 2007:168). Gandhi used the term ‘Harijan’ (People of God) to refer to the untouchables. However, this term was criticised due to broader conflict of the untouchable with Gandhi and the congress party in India on the ground that the term is associated with patronization (Mendelsohn and Vicziany 1998 quoted in Bob 2007:168). See Sultana (Sultana 2014:144–145, 148) for detailed discussion on this.

  3. Interview with Mazharul Islam, 12 April, 2013.

  4. See Sultana (Sultana 2014:145–147) for further discussion on development discourse and Dalits.

  5. Interview Meghna Guhathakurta, 25 April, 2013.

  6. In the late 1990s, caste discrimination gained official recognition as a human rights issue (Bob 2007:177).

  7. See Sultana (Sultana 2014:158).

  8. Author interview, Dhaka, 2013

  9. A local chiefdom system operates an indigenous, non-formal justice system within the closed group of a traditional community.

  10. Interviews with Kanpuri respondents, Dhaka 2013.

  11. See (Sultana 2014:154)

  12. Municipal committee was introduced in Dhaka in 1840 and metal roads and piped water supply was initiated (For details see Ahmed et al. 2014, 28).

  13. Interview, Bodhanki Solomon 25 April, 2013.

  14. See Malhotra 1979: 398 for discussion on Dhangar castes in Maharashtra, India.

  15. Later on such initiatives were supported by the City Corporation as financial support was provided for construction of temples in Gonoktuli, Najirabazar, Wari and Sayedabad.

  16. Both the Telegu and the Kanpuri sweepers have relatives in India. Frequent travel across the border is common. Some families seek brides and grooms from India.

  17. See (Sultana 2014:159) for discussion on organic intellectuals and political participation.

  18. See Sultana (Sultana 2014:155) for discussion on how subalternity is reproduced by conditions that make it difficult for the sweepers to educate themselves.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor John Scott, Queensland University of Technology for his comments on this article. We would like to express our gratitude to Shirin Ara Begum, Project Manager, Population Services and Training Center (PSTC) and Mokaddesa Kadery from Actionaid Bangladesh for their support during the field work period. We would also like to thank Meghna Guhathakurta of RIB, Dewan Akhtaruzzaman of FAIR, Mazharul Islam of Diakonia, Moni Rani Das and Bodhanki Solomon of BDERM for sharing their thoughts. Special thanks to our colleagues Taslima Atique, Tom Spencer and Johanna Garnett for their comments and editorial support. Finally, we want to thank two anonymous reviewers who provided useful comments and suggestions to improve the article.

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  1. School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Habiba Sultana

  2. School of Humanities, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, NSW, Australia

    D. B. Subedi

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  1. Habiba Sultana
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Sultana, H., Subedi, D.B. Caste System and Resistance: The Case of Untouchable Hindu Sweepers in Bangladesh. Int J Polit Cult Soc 29, 19–32 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10767-015-9202-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10767-015-9202-6

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