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Caste & Race

State of the Panth, Report 10

Wednesday
,
21
August
2024

Caste & Race

State of the Panth, Report 10

Wednesday
,
21
August
2024
State of the Panth
Sikh Panth
Caste
⟵ Back to articles

Caste & Race

State of the Panth, Report 10

Wednesday
,
21
August
2024

This report aims to understand and explore caste and race within a Sikh worldview, the complexities of their intertwined developments, and the varied responses to practices and structures of casteism and racism from dominant and marginalized groups.

This report aims to understand and explore caste and race within a Sikh worldview, the complexities of their intertwined developments, and the varied responses to practices and structures of casteism and racism from dominant and marginalized groups.

Caste and race have been linked together since the inception of the word “caste.” In the 17th century, Portuguese colonials coined the term “caste” — deriving from “casta,” which means “race, lineage, or breed” — to refer to the system of social codification witnessed during their exploration of South Asia.

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Caste & Race – Report

Caste and race have been linked together since the inception of the word “caste.” In the 17th century, Portuguese colonials coined the term “caste” — deriving from “casta,” which means “race, lineage, or breed” — to refer to the system of social codification witnessed during their exploration of South Asia.

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Caste & Race – Report

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Caste & Race – Raw Data

A global survey included in the report was presented to more than 683 self-identified Sikhs from 19 countries. This survey aimed to gain insight into how Sikhs worldwide understand caste and race in relation to Sikhi and how they consider casteist and anti-casteist practices concerning discriminatory expressions of power, identity, and pride.

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Caste & Race – Raw Data

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Written By

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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Research Associate

Jasleen Kaur is a Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute. She has received a Religious Studies B.A./M.A. from the University of Virginia, focusing on South Asian Religions through the lens of literature and poetry.

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