User:Anirvan/Anti-Brahmanism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anti-Brahmanism is hostility toward or prejudice against the Indian Brahmin caste, or against Brahmin individuals. Those expressing anti-Brahmin sentiments often claim that they are responding to historical or contemporary injustices permeated by the Hindu system of caste and varna, which placed Brahmins (historically linked with control of religion and education) as the highest caste.
Contents |
[edit] Forms of anti-Brahminism
[edit] Anti-Brahminism as reaction to the caste system
As a system of hierarchy, the Indian caste system discriminated against members of lower castes and Dalits (outcastes), making them subject to extensive social disadvantage and discrimination, often through control of public space, limitations on educational and economic access, and concerns about ritual purity. For example, up until the 20th century, many Brahmins would not allow Dalits to touch them or their possessions. The basis for this caste-based discrimination changed in the 20th century, as many forms of caste-based discrimination by Brahmins grew relatively less common, and laws against caste-based discrimination were passed in independent India, and certain accommodations were made to support Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Some who engage in anti-Brahminism are motivated primarily by an animosity toward those whom they perceive to be the primary beneficiaries of historical casteism, as well as contemporary caste disaparities. This hostility or prejudice often exists regardless of the class origin, social status, or caste-related attitudes of Brahmin groups. Anti-Brahmanism as caste animosity has grown concomitant with increased autonomy and social opportunity for members of lower castes.
Anti-Brahminism as a reaction to the caste system is sometimes encountered in:
- India and Nepal, among certain Dalit activists
- Maharashtra, India, among historically lower-caste members of groups like the Sambhaji Brigade
[edit] Examples of literature
- Brahmin Gold: The Plunder of Paradise (allegations of historical anti-Dalit exploitation by Brahmins)
- The Final Brahmin Annihilation of Dalitstan (allegations of anti-Dalit environmental racism by Bramhins)
[edit] Anti-Brahminism as ethnic tension
Some Dravidian people in South India and Sri Lanka view themselves as racially different from residents of North India, and have a negative view of the cultural role of North Indian Brahmins. Organizations like the Dravidar Kazhagam were founded on an explicitly anti-Brahmin platform, working to combat social problems they perceived as being linked to North Indian Brahminical Hinduism, but linking their work to a movement for a separate Dravidian nation.
[edit] Anti-Brahminism as opposition to Hinduism or the Indian government
Critics of Hinduism or Hindu nationalism sometimes focus their criticisms specifically against Brahmins, because of the substantial role they play in the development of the religion. Critics of India or Indian government policy also sometimes focus criticisms against Brahmins, because they perceive Brahmins to be a powerful force in the majority-Hindu nation.
[edit] Examples of literature
- Brahminist Occupied Governments (suggests that "Brahminists" are responsible for a wide variety of alleged Indian human rights abuses)
- Sikhs Want Out of the Brahmin Shangrila - They Want Khalistan (suggests that the Indian government is Brahmin-dominated, and has ignored development issues)
[edit] Anti-Brahmanism in Indian politics
Indian political parties with a mass base of non-upper-caste members sometimes take on explicit or implicit anti-Brahmin positions.
Examples include the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar.
[edit] Impact
(How does anti-Brahmanism impact the lives of individual Brahmins? Need to expand this section.)
