IsabelWilkersonCaste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsRandom House, 2020. 496 p. $32.00

Some years ago, I attended the Fez Sacred Music Festival. Arab music was fascinating. The rhythm, instruments, and cadences were often similar to Indian musical traditions am familiar with. However, this familiarity created a dissonance—instead of just enjoying music, kept trying understand words, an expectation don't have when listen Italian opera. Reading Isabel Wilkerson's Caste: Origins Our Discontents experience for me. Her masterful telling status power underlying day-to-day lived experiences race in United States connections she makes with caste hierarchies India evoke images tremendous indignities suffered by dalits, formerly known as untouchables (the lowest castes) India, yet, fails capture full range exploitation resistance that historiography would contain. Using device decode hierarchy is extremely powerful—race denotes difference, hierarchy. As Wilkerson notes, about respect, authority, assumption competence—who accorded these who not. A focus on allows us between dominant subordinate groups. Racial distinctions are no longer separation skin pigmentation or DNA but rather ranking based socially constructed categories history place white over black, Asian Americans Hispanics falling middle. Readers can feel indignity pain subordination through diverse stories, carefully researched sensitively recounted Wilkerson. LeRoy “Satchell” Paige came baseball early twentieth century Jim Crow at its cruelest, robbing he deserved depriving game incredible talent. Allison Davis, Harvard-trained anthropologist one earliest scholars carry out extensive participant observation class Mississippi Delta, developed framework reconceptualizing terms. Unfortunately, while his colleagues spending collecting data, shoestring budget, their better-funded competitors beat them goalpost far less rigorous more attention-getting work Caste Class Southern Town (Dollard 1937), which classic Davis colleague's book Deep South: Social Anthropological Study (Davis, Gardner 1941) received attention. These historical accounts supplemented personal being subjected suspicion, hostility, blatant discrimination areas life, ranging from traveling airplanes securing interviews informants refused believe black woman could represent illustrious New York Times. attributes overt covert hostility “euphoria Hate,” desire among castes establishing supremacy castes. oppression cannot succeed without supporting provides ideological justification continuation ensures distinction different maintained devices prohibit intermarriage enforce deference seek renegotiate power. In specifying facilitates continued hierarchies, draws explicit parallels identifying hallmarks version analogs States. Of eight pillars identifies, four deserve particular First, justified reference Hindu scriptures. Second, enforcing endogamy punishing intermarriage. Third, jati affiliations also hereditary occupations, ranked criterion purity pollution people hands, particularly touching carcasses excrement, rank bottom ladder. Fourth, inequality sustained shared belief inherent superiority inferiority oppressors well oppressed. For each sustaining caste, examples Nazi Germany, parallels, example, social sanctions miscegenation, highly persuasive. Others, such religious sanction hierarchy, believable it comes race. More importantly, although depiction faithfully captures key dimensions some important aspects political economy missing. may be relevant discourse around While refrains referring Western interlocutors society, much her framing eerily Louis Dumont (1980) followers. With publication Homo Hierarchicus, presented formulation privileged material emphasized timeless represented vedic traditions. framing, coupled exhortations creates places Brahmins top shudras dalits bottom. Two strands dissent overarching hierarchical literature noteworthy gaining holistic picture first strand focuses rent-seeking. study construction Nicholas Dirks identifies privileges gained they served interpreters colonial administration (Dirks 2001). Linkages occupations used exploit lower productive assets land keeping wages artificially low, rural East Company established pattern private ownership revenue collection India. Centuries later, inequalities continue shape fortunes education access high paying jobs (Desai Dubey 2011). resources smaller urban 2011), identifications ambiguous (Fuller 2003). conflict northern industrial southern agrarian set stage battle slavery States, slow pace urbanization has sustain relations. second reflected Subaltern Studies (Chatterjee 1992), rejects complicity own record moments resistance, either passive. Although texts definitions not changed time, acceptance undergone remarkable change. my fieldwork recently married dalit man gleefully how bridal party proudly marched upper locality him mounted horse forefathers did even dare pass same streets taking off shoes. Wilkerson, herself recounts acts leaders like Ambedkar resulted rejection Hinduism conversion Buddhism, does fully appreciate significance. Growing assertiveness, combined recognition basis inequality, closely linked activism. Where two-party politics fragmented interests Hispanic populations make harder unite platforms ethnicity, multiparty structure proven hospitable caste-based politics, variety regional parties strong identification emerged powerbrokers (Gupta 2005). Affirmative action firmly enshrined constitution quotas representation, educational institutions, government employment, ensuring visibility highest reaches government. About 15 percent present parliament consists members (commensurate population share) due electoral quotas; current President dalit. Prime Minister Modi Brahmin included category called OBC (Other Backward Classes), benefit affirmative policies. This disjunction highlights dominance merely function numerical superiority. modern democracy system brought numerically larger ritually than other superior Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas. small (5 population) might still dominate intelligentsia echelons bureaucracy, do necessarily hold Ironically, term “dominant caste,” literature, coined refer middle noted Srinivas (1987), unlike uses “dominant” high-status importance implications changes changing demography. insightful partial dynamics perspective brings bear viewing racial trends outlined above, leading creation elites another resulting marginalization pyramid, parallel middle-class mainly features account part group unable escape spite economic success, income disparities growing wealth receive little It too expect single myriad forces shaping helps highlight inequities success leads greater She observes primes discomfort unfairness sight person position above perceived station, if own. They need restore equilibrium putting place. perceptive explain conundrum where working-class whites united behind billionaire whose policies, dismantling Obamacare placing tariffs cheap Chinese consumer goods, ran against broad interests. concluding chapter calls “radical empathy” since create fix itself. “Once awakened, we choice. We born choose dominate. resist box others force upon us.” reliance hearts minds advocating structural transformation public policies reduce perhaps eliminate seems utopian odds persuasive arguments prior chapters describing cognitive dissonance led backlash described book. epic ideas Gandhi Ambedkar, sought casteless society redistributive justice (Deshpande 2013). references come down side Gandhi.