Overview

While castes have been around for more than 3000 years, their evolving nature makes it imperative to understand them better, as they play a crucial role in the problems that South Asia in general, and India in particular have been facing. In contemporary India, violence against the Dalits, patriarchy and gender subjugation, communitarian apathy and hatred, national jingoism, authoritarian politics and the persecution of minorities have been rooted in the dynamics of caste. This course provides an overview of the presence of castes in Hindi films, and their approach towards the system by focusing on feature films and documentaries. At the same time, it will provide an understanding of how the films also play a role in the dynamics of castes that inform Indian society today. The course combines three segments of studies to structure the lectures: i) a brief history and contemporary understanding of caste; ii) cinema, visual cultures and the question of representation; iii) anti-caste movements and cinematic interventions. In each class selected movie clips will be shown and analyzed to understand how caste is embedded in the Hindi film and media culture. The aim is to provide an in-depth overview of the subject so that it will be helpful for beginner students who might want to study it further, as well as those in advanced stages.