Showing papers on "Caste published in 2022"

Dalit Chembur: Spatializing the Caste Question in Bombay, c. 1920s-1970s:

Abstract: Studying the spatial exclusion of Dalits is distinct from looking at caste as an axis of spatial organization in the city. The “urban” is not just a location for mapping the social geography, but a...

Social disadvantage, economic inequality, and life expectancy in nine Indian states

Abstract: Significance India is one of the most hierarchical societies in the world. Because vital statistics are incomplete, mortality disparities are not quantified. Using survey data on more than 20 million individuals from nine Indian states representing about half of India’s population, we estimate and decompose life expectancy differences between higher-caste Hindus, comprising other backward classes and high castes, and three marginalized social groups: Adivasis (indigenous peoples), Dalits (oppressed castes), and Muslims. The three marginalized groups experience large disadvantages in life expectancy at birth relative to higher-caste Hindus. Economic status explains less than half of these gaps. These large disparities underscore parallels between diverse systems of discrimination akin to racism. They highlight the global significance of addressing social inequality in India.

Detection of fake news and hate speech for Ethiopian languages: a systematic review of the approaches

Abstract: With the proliferation of social media platforms that provide anonymity, easy access, online community development, and online debate, detecting and tracking hate speech has become a major concern for society, individuals, policymakers, and researchers. Combating hate speech and fake news are the most pressing societal issues. It is difficult to expose false claims before they cause significant harm. Automatic fact or claim verification has recently piqued the interest of various research communities. Despite efforts to use automatic approaches for detection and monitoring, their results are still unsatisfactory, and that requires more research work in the area. Fake news and hate speech messages are any messages on social media platforms that spread negativity in society about sex, caste, religion, politics, race, disability, sexual orientation, and so on. Thus, the type of massage is extremely difficult to detect and combat. This work aims to analyze the optimal approaches for this kind of problem, as well as the relationship between the approaches, dataset type, size, and accuracy. Finally, based on the analysis results of the implemented approaches, deep learning (DL) approaches have been recommended for other Ethiopian languages to increase the performance of all evaluation metrics from different social media platforms. Additionally, as the review results indicate, the combination of DL and machine learning (ML) approaches with a balanced dataset can improve the detection and combating performance of the system.

Gender, caste, and heterogeneous farmer preferences for wheat varietal traits in rural India

Abstract: The research on crop genetic enhancement has created a continuous flow of new, improved germplasm for the benefit of farmers and consumers of the Global South during and after the Green Revolution. Understanding farmers’ heterogeneous preferences for varietal traits in different market segments and incorporating the prominent ones in crop breeding programs are expected to facilitate a faster diffusion of these new varieties. Albeit knowing little about farmers’ trait preferences in South Asia, public-sector breeding programs prioritize yield enhancement and risk reduction over other varietal traits. Against this backdrop, we examined wheat farmers’ preferences for varietal traits in Central India, where the prevailing varietal turnover rate has been meager. We conducted a ranking exercise among 120 individuals, followed by a sex-disaggregated survey with a choice experiment among 420 farm-households in 2019. The lowest varietal turnover rate was observed for the socially marginalized castes. Most women respondents were not actively involved in making decisions related to wheat cultivation, including varietal selection. However, the results indicate that marginalized caste and women farmers are open to experimentation with new varieties, as shown by their positive willingness to pay for improved varietal traits. Across the gender and caste groups, grain quality attributes (especially chapati quality) were ranked high, above the yield-enhancing and risk-ameliorating traits. From the observed patterns, one could deduce that developing and disseminating improved varieties with better grain quality and targeting women and marginalized social groups in varietal dissemination programs could enhance farmer adoption of new, improved germplasm and wheat productivity in Central India.

Constructing a caste in the past: Revisionist histories and competitive authority in South India

Abstract: Abstract This article examines the recent political history of the Devendrakula Vellalars (henceforth, Devendras). Officially recognized by the state and union governments in 2020 and 2021, this novel consolidated caste formation includes a broad range of formerly endogamous ‘Untouchable’ communities spread throughout Tamil Nadu but most highly concentrated in its southern half. I argue that the communities constituting the Devendras have been socio-economically diverse for at least the past century and thus do not necessarily share the same political priorities. They have, nonetheless, attempted to unite in opposition to the politically powerful Thevars (Other Backward Class or OBC) who are themselves a consolidated caste formation that grew out of colonial domination. The Devendras's economic diversity has, however, troubled their oppositional political consolidation, compelling the production of revisionist mythico-histories that appeal to widely held desires for authority and honour. Disavowing the Dalit past and recasting the Devendras as the descendants of heroes, such mythico-histories produce a collective identity characterized by the ideals of righteous self-sacrifice, valour, and agrarian civility. Devendras's identarian claims are, however, reliant on the acceptance of internal and external audiences, some of which violently oppose their assertions. They nevertheless seek recognition, and in so doing empower themselves by gathering strength in numbers.

Identity work at the intersection of dirty work, caste, and precarity: How Indian cleaners negotiate stigma

Abstract: Drawing from in-depth interviews of cleaners employed in the cleaning industry in India, the study examines the ongoing process of constructing a positive identity among dirty workers. Cleaners respond to the intense identity struggles emerging from caste stigma, dirty taint, and precarity by constructing ambivalent identities. Cleaners’ identity work is constituted by the very identity struggles they encounter, and their efforts to negotiate stigmatized identities further create identity tensions. Apart from accenting the paradoxical duality inhered in identity work, the findings show how caste/class inequalities are reworked in a neoliberal milieu and reproduced in identity construction processes. The findings call attention to caste as an important social category in organizational studies that has implications for work identities, dirty work, and precarious work.

Power for the Plantationocene: solar parks as the colonial form of an energy plantation

Abstract: ABSTRACT Solar park development in India constitutes racial regimes of land ownership, as solar-related dispossessions produce a highly racialized (through caste) and gendered surplus population of landless peasants. Conceptualizing the power relations of solar power through the Plantationocene, I argue the highly ordered form of the solar park is a set of neocolonial social relations akin to an energy plantation; an archetype of an imperative, idealized and racialized reordering of nature, economy and society to power a more sustainable world-system. Agrarian climate justice requires intersectional peasant coalitions struggling to transform neocolonial land politics and implementing redistributive and emancipatory solar interventions.

Intersecting sex-related inequalities in self-reported testing for and prevalence of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factors in Kerala

Abstract: Abstract Background Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are among India’s top burdens, particularly in states like Kerala, which is at an advanced stage of the epidemiological transition. Evidence in India points towards intersectional inequalities in risk factors of NCDs and testing, both of which are understudied in Kerala. We estimated the self-reported testing and prevalence of key NCD risk factors—blood pressure (BP) and blood glucose (BG) comparing Kerala men and women across educational, wealth, religion, as well as caste and tribal status subgroups. Method A multistage random sample survey of 3398 women and 2982 men aged 30 years and over was administered in 4 districts of Kerala from July to October 2019. Descriptive analysis for men and women was undertaken using survey weights. Slope index of Inequality and Relative Concentration Index for wealth and education related inequalities, and, Weighted Mean Difference from Mean and Index of Disparity for caste and tribal status, as well as religion related inequalities were calculated using World Health Organisation’s Health Equity Assessment Toolkit Plus and Stata 12. Results A significantly higher proportion of women reported BP and BG testing by medical personnel in the previous year than men (BP Testing among Women (BPT w ): 90.3% vs BP Testing among Men (BPT M ):80.8%, BG Testing among Women (BGT w ): 86.2% vs BG Testing among Women (BGT M ):78.3%). Among those tested, more women (11.2%) than men (7.9%) reported High Blood Pressure (HBP) but not High Blood Glucose (HBG). Testing for BP was concentrated among less-educated women while BG testing was concentrated among both less educated women and men. HBP and HBG were concentrated among less educated and wealthier groups. Although sex differences were insignificant across caste and tribal status and religion subgroups, magnitude of inequalities was high for HBP and HBG. Conclusion Distinct patterns of sex inequalities were present in self-reported testing and prevalence of NCD risk factors in Kerala. Education and wealth seem to be associated with testing while prevalence appeared to vary by religious groups. Given the low rates of illiteracy, it is encouraging but maybe a data artefact that a small population of less-educated persons was getting tested; however, exclusion of poor groups and inequalities by other dimensions raise concerns. Further exploration is needed to understand underlying mechanisms of these inequalities to ensure we leave no one behind.

Inequality Among Social Groups in Accessing Improved Drinking Water and Sanitation in India: A District-Level Spatial Analysis

Abstract: Persisting wide inequality among various geographical spaces and social groups is a significant disincentive to India’s healthy socioeconomic growth and human development. Therefore, arranging adequate safe drinking water and sanitation for all (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 6) and reducing inequality among social groups (United Nations SDG 10) by 2030 is a big challenge to one of the most populated and eco-socio-culturally diversified nations. We have tried to map the inequality among social groups and geographical space in accessing improved drinking water and sanitation (IDWS) facilities. Besides, we have classified Indian districts through the quadrant analysis technique, combining these two aspects of inequality (district-level geographical inequality and inequality between Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe [SC/ST] and other groups). This might find inclusive, sustainable strategies, reducing inequality between social groups and geographical space. The study was carried out in about 46 percent to 60 percent of districts characterized by lower coverage of various IDWS facilities, with more SC/ST community deprivation in accessing these facilities. Despite having higher coverage of IDWS facilities, nearly 45 percent to 49 percent of districts showed a higher deprivation of SC/ST groups in this case. The study’s findings demand more attention and investment to develop IDWS facilities among SC/ST groups and lower performing districts.

Termite sociogenomics: evolution and regulation of caste-specific expressed genes.

Abstract: Termite genomes have been sequenced in at least five species from four different families. Genome-based transcriptome analyses have identified large numbers of protein-coding genes with caste-specific expression patterns. These genes include those involved in caste-specific morphologies and roles, for example high fecundity and longevity in reproductives. Some caste-specific expressed genes belong to multi-gene families, and their genetic architecture and expression profiles indicate they have evolved via tandem gene duplication. Candidate regulatory mechanisms of caste-specific expression include epigenetic regulation (e.g. histone modification and non-coding RNA) and diversification of transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements. We review current knowledge in the area of termite sociogenomics, focussing on the evolution and regulation of caste-specific expressed genes, and discuss future research directions.

A transformative service research perspective on caste-based discrimination in microcredit lending in India

Abstract: Purpose This research aims to address the transformative service research (TSR) agenda by examining the issue of caste-based financial exclusion in microcredit lending services in India. To do so, it draws on statistical discrimination theory from labour economics to develop and test a multi-level prosocial service orientation framework. Design/methodology/approach Survey data come from 238 loan officers and 250 lower caste loan applicants across 43 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India. The data are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling, a method appropriate for investigating micro- and macro-level organisational variables. Findings At the micro level, the service orientation factors of social dominance orientation and algorithmic-driven lending decisions affect financial exclusion of lower caste bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) vendors. At the macro level, the service orientation mechanism of inclusive service climate reduces caste-based financial exclusion, while the level of lending risk to reduce discrimination receives no support. Research limitations/implications Research in other contexts is warranted to confirm the prosocial service orientation model. Methodological challenges at the BoP also present avenues for insightful work. Social implications The study shows the importance of an inclusive service climate and reassessment of algorithmic-driven lending decisions to eliminate caste-based indicators in lending decisions. It also recommends policy reform of caste-based affirmative action at the macro- and micro-levels of lending decisions. Originality/value This research extends the TSR agenda to include caste-based discrimination in prosocial services. It takes a multidisciplinary perspective on services research by incorporating statistical discrimination theory from labour economics to extend understanding of service orientation.

Caste-gender intersectionalities in wheat-growing communities in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract: Abstract This article addresses the patterns of women’s engagement in wheat as decision-makers and laborers in India. Qualitative research conducted twice in one village in Madhya Pradesh explored gender norms and agency changes over time. Quantitative research was carried out in the same village and 17 additional villages. Four questions are asked: (1) Is decision-making in wheat feminized? (2) Is labor in wheat feminized? (3) In what ways do interactions between caste and gender determine and limit the spaces within which women can act? (4) In what ways are women challenging their gender and caste identities to enhance their livelihoods by influencing their roles, responsibilities, and decision-making in wheat? The findings show that only a few women consider themselves “farmers” and participate actively in discussions around wheat. Over the last decade, women of all castes have been employed as laborers in wheat, driven by aspirations to improve their lives. Women also fund the wheat system through self-help groups. However, their participation in the labor force is threatened by agricultural mechanization. A strong, positive association was observed between women’s agency in crop production and their agency in household expenditures.

Social networks, heterogeneity, and adoption of technologies: Evidence from India

Abstract: This study examines the role of caste-based affiliations in the smallholders’ social network interactions for adoption choices. In particular, whether lower-caste, namely Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, farmers rely more on social networks for information than their counterparts. We further explore whether social network effects are more pronounced when farmers interact within their caste than otherwise. Finally, the study tests whether the effects (intra-caste and inter-caste) vary by caste—SC/ST versus non-SC/ST farmers. The study uses a survey of 478 mustard farmers in Rajasthan, India. Econometric concerns related to unobserved heterogeneity are addressed by employing specifications with village fixed effects and a series of robustness tests. Simultaneity concerns are addressed by analyzing the social network effects in a dynamic adoption framework. Results show that the adoption choices regarding hybrid mustard seeds are more pronounced for the lower-caste farmers than for their counterparts. Findings reveal that social network effects are significant in intra-caste but not in the case of inter-caste. Finally, the result shows that the likelihood of accepting advice in technology adoption is higher when SC/ST farmers interact with non-SC/ST network members than when non-SC/ST farmers interact with SC/ST network members.

Submission to Subversion: An Analytical Study of Meena Kandasamy's ‘When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife’

Abstract: Meena Kandasamy tries to create an identity among the galaxy of Indian writers in English as a poet, novelist and translator. She deals with caste annihilation, feminism and linguistic identity. Meena Kandasamy's novel, 'When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife', deals with the suppression of women in the name of patriarchal society in educated families. She explains the story of a highly educated Indian woman from an affluent family who marries a respected college professor. He seems to be a man who is a social rights activist outside the home, but he abuses his wife at home. Kandasamy depicts a dreadful picture explaining her husband's strategies to keep her under his control. In this context, she delineates the emotions a woman undergoes while adjusting herself to the situation in the family. The writer attempts to develop the status of a woman by discussing more the turmoil she comes across in every part of her life. She wants to disclose to the world that a woman is a human being. She is wise enough to remain uncrushed and unperturbed despite challenges and hostilities. The novel vividly depicts the power game between men and women in Indian families and other societies.

Who wins and who loses from renewable energy transition? Large-scale solar, land, and livelihood in Karnataka, India

Abstract: This article evaluates the winners and losers of the energy transition playing out around the Pavagada solar park in Karnataka, India. We analyse how the innovative land leasing and competitive tendering mechanisms of the ‘Pavagada model’ have shaped the socio-ecological relations and outcomes of the project. We show the solar park has provided investors with low-risk returns, state electricity distributers with low-cost power, and larger landowners with new income streams. However, we find that the model is entrenching colonial, gender, and caste-based inequalities and oppressions, particularly for landless agricultural labourers who have lost their sources of livelihood. We argue that when renewable energy policy is primarily concerned with reducing costs and managing risks for private investors and state actors, the potential benefits of energy transition will not be equitably shared. The case of Pavagada demonstrates the need for democratic ownership and control of renewable energy.

Towards a Political Ecology of Caste and the City

Abstract: ABSTRACT In this contribution, I reflect on the under-recognized role of caste and its allied notions of pollution and purity in the making of deeply inequitable, environmentally unjust, and splintered Indian cities. Published in 2001, Graham and Marvin’s Splintering Urbanism addressed the fragmented and unequal nature of infrastructure networks in the wake of globalization in cities of the Global South. Of particular interest to scholars since then has been to trouble the historicity of the book’s central thesis, demonstrating that postcolonial cities have always been splintered along the lines of race, class, and ethnicity via unequal infrastructural networks and segregated housing; as such, globalization is not the primary cause of inequality. Yet, the category of caste, intersecting with class, religion, and gender, still has not featured centrally in critical urban studies and urban political ecology. Drawing on long-term research on Bangalore (southern India), I sketch mutually reinforcing axes of a research agenda in urban political ecology, namely the interrogation of caste power in urban property, infrastructure, and labor regimes.

Intimate Partner Violence among Scheduled Caste Women in India: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract: Scheduled Caste (SC) women, one of the most oppressed and neglected groups in India, have the highest prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet no study has analyzed correlates of IPV within this group, or analyzed them using nationally representative data. This study is an attempt to fill this gap. Information on 11,076 married SC women from the National Family Health Survey-4 was analyzed. Cross-sectional study design was followed. Binary logistic regression was applied to examine the factors associated with IPV. About 40% of married SC women in India suffered physical, mental, or sexual violence from their husbands. Alcohol consumption by husband (OR = 2.99, 95% CI = 2.62–3.41), employment status (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.07–1.48), parity especially having 4 or more children (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.82–3.06; OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.61–2.73) were associated with higher odds of IPV. Women from southern, eastern, and central regions of India were more likely to experience IPV. We conclude that there is a need to recognize the diverse experiences of vulnerable subgroups within SC women and undertake suitably designed targeted interventions to lower the high levels of IPV prevalent among these women.

Defense in Social Insects: Diversity, Division of Labor, and Evolution.

Abstract: All social insects defend their colony from predators, parasites, and pathogens. In Oster and Wilson's classic work, they posed one of the key paradoxes about defense in social insects: Given the universal necessity of defense, why then is there so much diversity in mechanisms? Ecological factors undoubtedly are important: Predation and usurpation have imposed strong selection on eusocial insects, and active defense by colonies is a ubiquitous feature of all social insects. The description of diverse insect groups with castes of sterile workers whose main duty is defense has broadened the purview of social evolution in insects, in particular with respect to caste and behavior. Defense is one of the central axes along which we can begin to organize and understand sociality in insects. With the establishment of social insect models such as the honey bee, new discoveries are emerging regarding the endocrine, neural, and gene regulatory mechanisms underlying defense in social insects. The mechanisms underlying morphological and behavioral defense traits may be shared across diverse groups, providing opportunities for identifying both conserved and novel mechanisms at work. Emerging themes highlight the context dependency of and interaction between factors that regulate defense in social insects.

Penggunaan Fitur Bahasa Perempuan pada Novel Tempurung Karya Oka Rusmini

Abstract: The use of women's language with a Balinese cultural background with a patriarchal culture is interesting to analyze. The novel 'Tempurung' by Oka Rusmini tells the story of women with Balinese cultural backgrounds. There are sixteen female characters in this novel, while three are male characters. This study analyzes the features of women's language used by female characters, which are analyzed using the referential, pragmatic, and distribution methods. Based on the results of the analysis, female characters use eight out of ten features of the female language, namely intensifier (40.72%), empty adjectives (17.01%), tag questions (16.49%), super polite form (7.22%), rising intonation on declarative (6.70%), hypercorrect grammar (6.70%), emphatic stress (3.09%), and lexical hedges or fillers (2.06%). Avoid strong swear words, and female characters do not apply precise colour terms. Female characters' use of women's language features is motivated by a patriarchal culture that makes men superior while women are inferior. The caste system in Balinese culture also underlies the use of female language features by female characters, for example, using polite forms when speaking with interlocutors who have a higher caste.

Association between parasite microbiomes and caste development and colony structure in a social trematode

Abstract: Division of labour through the formation of morphologically and functionally distinct castes is a recurring theme in the evolution of animal sociality. The mechanisms driving the differentiation of individuals into distinct castes remain poorly understood, especially for animals forming clonal colonies. We test the association between microbiomes and caste formation within the social trematode Philophthalmus attenuatus, using a metabarcoding approach targeting the bacterial 16S SSU rRNA gene. Clonal colonies of this trematode within snail hosts comprise large reproductive individuals which produce dispersal stages, and small, non‐reproducing soldiers which defend the colony against invaders. In colonies extracted directly from field‐collected snails, reproductives harboured more diverse bacterial communities than soldiers, and reproductives and soldiers harboured distinct bacterial communities, at all taxonomic levels considered. No single bacterial taxon showed high enough prevalence in either soldiers or reproductives to be singled out as a key driver, indicating that the whole microbial community contributes to these differences. Other colonies were experimentally exposed to antibiotics to alter their bacterial communities, and sampled shortly after treatment and weeks later after allowing for turnover of colony members. At those time points, bacterial communities of the two castes still differed across all antibiotic treatments; however, the caste ratio within colonies changed: after antibiotic disruption and turnover of individuals, new individuals were more likely to become reproductives than in undisturbed control colonies. Our results reveal that each caste has a distinct microbiome; whether the social context affects the microbiota, or whether microbes contribute to modulating the phenotype of individuals, remains to be determined.

Where Rabies Is Not a Disease. Bridging Healthworlds to Improve Mutual Understanding and Prevention of Rabies

Abstract: Deeply embedded in local social, cultural, and religious settings, traditional healing is part of dog bite and rabies management in many rabies endemic countries. Faith healing, which usually encompasses a more holistic approach to health including physical, mental and social dimensions, is rare in the context of rabies. In Gujarat, Western India, the Hindu goddess Hadkai Mata is worshiped by low-caste communities as the Mother of Rabies in the event of a dog bite to a person or their livestock. This belief might influence people's attitudes and behaviors toward rabies prevention but has never been investigated. Through 31 in-depth interviews with healers and staff of Hadkai Mata temples, this paper explores the system of knowledge around dog and human rabies that is built and shared in these places of worship and healing. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed looking for convergences and divergences with the recently launched National Action Plan for dog-mediated Rabies Elimination. Results suggest that while the etiology of human rabies as a social illness is usually explained as the goddess's wish to correct misbehaving people and restore positive interpersonal relations, there is some appreciation for the biological processes of infection that lead to rabies as a physical disease. Hadkai Mata is believed to cure rabies if her patients undergo the necessary process of moral growth. Although conventional post-exposure prophylaxis is not opposed per se, it is often delayed by patients who seek traditional treatment first. Some reluctance was expressed toward mass dog vaccination because it is seen as an interference in how the goddess controls dogs, by enraging them—hence infecting them with rabies—and sending them to bite wrongdoers. Addressing these cultural perceptions is likely to be critical in achieving effective control of dog rabies in this region. The study highlights the value of multidisciplinary approaches in the control and elimination of rabies, as well as other zoonoses. This includes the importance of understanding different culturally- and religiously- mediated ways in which humans relate to animals; and looking for points of convergence and mutual understanding, upon which context-tailored, linguistically-accurate, locally acceptable, feasible and effective strategies can be designed.

The effects of community clustering on under-five mortality in India: a parametric shared frailty modelling approach

Abstract: Abstract The study of the effect of community clustering of under-five mortality has its implications in both research and policy. Studies have shown the contribution of community factors on under-five mortality. However, these studies did not account for censoring. We examine the presence of community dependencies and determine the risk factors of under-five mortality in India and its six state-regions by employing a Weibull hazard model with gamma shared frailty. We considered every possible way to ensure that the frailty models used in the study are not merely a consequence of how the data are organized rather than representing a substantive assumption about the source of the frailty. Data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey has been used. The study found that except for south India, children born in the same community in India and the other five state-regions shared similar characteristics of under-five mortality. The risk of under-five mortality decreased with an increase in mother’s schooling. Except for northern region, female births were less likely to die within first five years of life. We found a U-shaped relationship between preceding birth interval and under-five mortality. History of sibling’s death, multiple births and low-birthweight significantly increases the risk of under-five mortality in all the six state-regions. The Hindu–Muslim mortality gaps and Scheduled Caste or Tribe’s mortality disadvantage is diminishing. Since the factors associated with under-five mortality were not necessarily the same across the six state-regions of India, adopting a uniform approach in dealing with under-five mortality in India may not benefit all the regions equally.

Interrupting Merit, Subverting Legibility: Navigating Caste In ‘Casteless’ Worlds of Computing

Abstract: Recent work in HCI has shed light on structural issues of inequality in computing. Building on this work, this study analyzes the relatively understudied phenomenon of caste in computing. Contrary to common rhetorics of ‘castelessness,’ we show how computing worlds in India and Indian diasporic communities continue to be shaped and inflected by caste relations. We study how, when and where Dalits (formerly ‘untouchables’) encounter caste in computing. We show how they artfully navigate these caste inscriptions by interpreting, interrupting and ambiguating caste and by finding caste communities. Drawing on the life stories of 16 Dalit engineers and anti-caste, queer-feminist and critical race theories, we argue that a dynamic and performative approach to caste, and other forms of inequality in HCI and computing, emphasizes the artfulness and agency of those at the margins as they challenge structural inequality in everyday life. Lastly, we suggest practical ways of addressing caste to build more open and inclusive cultures of global computing.

Evidence for a conserved queen‐worker genetic toolkit across slave‐making ants and their ant hosts

Abstract: The ecological success of social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps) depends on the division of labour between the queen and workers. Each caste exhibits highly specialized morphology, behaviour, and life-history traits, such as lifespan and fecundity. Despite strong defences against alien intruders, insect societies are vulnerable to social parasites, such as workerless inquilines or slave-making ants. Here, we investigate whether gene expression varies in parallel ways between lifestyles (slave-making versus host ants) across five independent origins of ant slavery in the “Formicoxenus-group” of the ant tribe Crematogastrini. As caste differences are often less pronounced in slave-making ants than in nonparasitic ants, we also compare caste-specific gene expression patterns between lifestyles. We demonstrate a substantial overlap in expression differences between queens and workers across taxa, irrespective of lifestyle. Caste affects the transcriptomes much more profoundly than lifestyle, as indicated by 37 times more genes being linked to caste than to lifestyle and by multiple caste-associated modules of coexpressed genes with strong connectivity. However, several genes and one gene module are linked to slave-making across the independent origins of this parasitic lifestyle, pointing to some evolutionary convergence. Finally, we do not find evidence for an interaction between caste and lifestyle, indicating that caste differences in gene expression remain consistent even when species switch to a parasitic lifestyle. Our findings strongly support the existence of a core set of genes whose expression is linked to the queen and worker caste in this ant taxon, as proposed by the “genetic toolkit” hypothesis.

Shaking Up (and Keeping Intact) the Old Boys’ Network: The Impact of the Mandatory Gender Quota on the Board of Directors in India

Abstract: Prior research on the impact of mandatory quotas in one dimension of diversity, on other dimensions, shows contradictory results. We seek to resolve this puzzle by relying on theory in social psychology on homophily and recategorization processes in hiring. In the context of a law mandating a gender quota on Indian boards, we predict and find that boards respond to the law by hiring new women directors who are similar to existing directors in terms of caste and community dimensions. We find that this homophily effect is impactful to the extent that even high-status women directors cannot overcome it. At the aggregate level, these organizational-level practices result in caste and community inequalities remaining intact despite the introduction of 1309 new women directors. We contribute to research on inequality, board of directors, and affirmative action.

Decomposing the gap in intimate partner violence between Scheduled Caste and General category women in India: An analysis of NFHS-5 data

Abstract: Scheduled Caste (SC) women, one of India's most oppressed and neglected population groups, are the most vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV, on the other hand, is less common among women in the General category. No study has been conducted to measure the gap in IPV between these two groups. This study is an attempt to fill this gap. This study aims to comprehensively explore the factors that underlie and explain the gap in IPV between SC and General women. Information on 10,168 ever-married SC and 9695 ever-married General women aged 15–49 from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey was analyzed. The Fairlie decomposition (Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition modified for binary outcomes) was used in this study to explain the gap in ever experience of IPV prevalence between SC and General women. About 37.3% and 24.4% of ever-married SC and General women in India suffered either physical or mental or sexual violence from their husbands. The large part of the gap in IPV between SC and General women was due to differences in husbands' alcohol consumption (26.33% gap), wealth index (24.48% gap), controlling behavior by husband (24%) and parental IPV (15.87% gap). With the introduction of appropriate interventions and programs, these gaps can be reduced. Interventions aimed at reducing alcoholism should be emphasized.

Uneven burden of multidimensional poverty in India: A caste based analysis

Abstract: Poverty is multifaceted. The global poverty profile shows 41% of multidimensionally poor people living in South Asian countries. Though castes and tribes are a more prevalent line of social stratification in India, and their socio-economic characteristics also vary remarkably, hardly any study has explored these dimensions while analysing multidimensional poverty in India. Hence, this study attempts to assess the multidimensional status of poverty among the social groups in India. National Family Health Survey, 2015–16 (NFHS-4) is a source of rich information on 579,698 households’ well-being for this analysis. Alkire- Foster technique was applied to decompose the Multidimensional Poverty Index (M0) across its dimensions and indicators for all the social groups. Three broad dimensions of deprivation–Health, Education and Standard of Living–include 12 indicators, guided by the poverty literature, data availability and the country’s sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There were three main findings in this study: (1) Scheduled Tribes (STs) are the most disadvantaged subgroup in India with remarkably high values of headcount (H = 0.444;), intensity (A = 0.486), and M0 (0.216), followed by Scheduled Castes (SCs) (H = 0.292; A = 0.473; M0 = 0.138), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) (H = 0.245; A = 0.465; M0 = 0.114); and Others category is the most privileged with very low values of H = 0.149, A = 0.463, and M0 = 0.069; (2) STs contribute nearly twice their population share for both H and M0, and the SCs contribution is also noticeably higher than their population share; (3) States located in the central and eastern regions of India have the higher H, A and M0 for all the social groups. This suggests that there is a need for a thorough assessment of poverty at specific levels to uncover the poverty situation in society, improve the effectiveness of evidence-based planning and effective policymaking.