Suraj Yengde is a Dalit scholar and author of the book, Caste Matters, which was published in 2019 by Penguin Random House India. According to the publisher’s description, which is published on Google Books, “Caste Matters outlines the contemporary reality of caste in India, why the ‘Dalit Question’ is central to India’s future, and the possibilities that transformative politics grounded in Dalit principles could bring about.” Caste Matters is Yengde’s first book and is the “first-hand account of a Dalit scholar” (Wikipedia, “Caste Matters”). This guide summarizes the book, outlines the responses of reviewers, states the major critiques and suggests who should read the book. This guide paraphrases the book, and does not include long passages of the book.
About Suraj Yengde
Yengde was born in 1988 and is an Indian academic, author and activist. He currently works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University, and as a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He wrote The Radical in Ambedkar, which was published in 2017. Our guide to who Dalits are explains the term and our post on Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste gives an overview of Yengde’s role in the film, Origin, where Wilkerson meets Yengde during her trip to India.
What is Caste Matters about?
Caste Matters is about the experiences of Dr. Suraj Yengde growing up in a Dalit basti (neighborhood) and the humiliations Dalits face, and also about their love and humor in the face of daily humiliations (Penguin). Caste Matters highlights that caste will not cease to matter until Dalits acquire power and till the time Brahmins unite to fight against Brahminism to bring real changes (Penguin).
Caste Matters was written in response to the absence of the discussion on caste in the mainstream of India (Wikipedia “Caste Matters”). It was first published on July 15, 2019, according to Wikipedia and July 8, 2019, according to another source, so please see the log.
Caste Matters summary: the six chapters
According to a review by Scroll, the book consists of six chapters (Scroll, “Caste Matters: Suraj Yengde’s new book unapologetically calls out the caste elephant in every room in modern India”).
- Being a Dalit: Personal accounts of humiliations and the resilience of Dalits. (Penguin; Scroll)
- Neo-Dalit Rising: Yengde justifies Dalit nationalism, and critiques the community’s trust in the constitution. (Scroll)
- The Many Shades of Dalits: Different categories of Dalits coined by the author as “castegories” e.g. the elite and self-obsessed Dalits, the radical Dalits, and the token Dalits. (Scroll)
- The Dalit Middle Class: The group that represents Dalits in the information age. (Scroll)
- Dalit capitalism. The idea of “Dalit capitalism” which is related to that class (Scroll).
- Brahmins vs. Brahminism. The contribution of what the book calls genuine Brahmin allies to the Dalit movement (Scroll).
Our Ambedkar biography page explains the thinker whose ideas run through the book.
Caste Matters review: what critics said
According to Wikipedia, “Suraj Yengde” it was listed by The Hindu among the best non-fiction books of the decade. It has been reviewed by The Hindu, The Wire, The Polis Project and by Wikipedia, which calls it a powerful polemic and a path-breaking book. A Goodreads review praises its bottom-up view with a global perspective drawn by the author’s lived experience as a lower-class Dalit, and calls it a compelling book for a radical Dalit politics (Goodreads, reader review).
Criticisms
An academic book review in a journal states that the author describes his book as “an ethnography of the sociality of caste,” and inviting methodological criticism, calls it “semi-autobiographical nonfiction” (Book review, SAGE journal). This same review states that the book does not define “Dalit,” leading to an unclear definition of whether it includes Scheduled Castes, former Untouchables, or just the Mahar caste, and that long definitions of terms like Dalit love blur their meaning (SAGE review). The same Goodreads review states that some lack of academic discipline shows through, and that it may be debatable how far Yengde’s rejection of capitalism may affect the Dalit cause (Goodreads). It criticizes parts of the Dalit middle class and may be uncomfortable for readers (Scroll).
Who should read it?
This book is of interest to people wanting a Dalit scholar’s argument on caste in a popular form and to people interested in controversies in Dalit politics. For other first-person accounts, see our reviews on Ants Among Elephants and Coming Out as Dalit, as well as our reading list.
Why it matters
Suraj Yengde is based in the US and the book is a part of the growing body of Dalit literature in English. The caste-in-the-diaspora debates, of which we have covered a couple, are based on this type of scholarship. For communities who want to document their own experiences, the internet has transformed skills in blogging, AI tools and email marketing, into essential skills. TAEP was built to teach these skills.
Takeaway
Caste Matters was Suraj Yengde’s first book, published in 2019, and argues that as long as caste structures persist, Dalits will continue to suffer and the only real way to change this will be Dalits wielding power and Brahmins opposing Brahminism. The book is made of six chapters dealing with Dalit personal experiences, nationalism, and the middle class and capitalism. It has been rated as a powerful polemic and one of the best non-fiction books of the decade. However, academic critics say it suffers from undefined terms, mixed and debatable arguments. It is one of the first works by an author writing for a general audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Caste Matters about?
This 2019 book explores caste as it exists in the lives of Dalits, weaves together personal accounts, and calls for the Dalits to take power while asking Brahmins to take a stand against Brahminism.
What are the chapters of Caste Matters?
Being a Dalit, Neo Dalit Rising, The Many Shades of Dalits, The Dalit Middle Class, Dalit Capitalism, and Brahmins against Brahminism.
Is Caste Matters worth reading?
This book has been praised as a compelling, groundbreaking piece, and The Hindu included it in their list of the best nonfiction books of the decade. One academic review criticized it for lack of a definition for “Dalit” and other methodological issues.
Where can I read more books on caste?
Our reading list includes fiction, scholarly literature and writings of Ambedkar.
In our view understanding caste should be coupled with building one’s digital independence.
Ambedkarite communities across the world are using digital tools such as blogging, AI and email marketing to document their struggles and challenge discrimination and build a digital presence that cannot be censored.
The Ambedkarite Educational Program teaches these skills and more, such as building a web presence, AI, and email marketing for a one time fee of ₹297 (~$4 USD).
Or join the Movement for free.
SOURCES
- Google Books, Caste Matters, Penguin Viking, 2019 (publisher’s description)
- Wikipedia, “Caste Matters”
- Wikipedia, “Suraj Yengde”
- Scroll, “‘Caste Matters’: Suraj Yengde’s new book unapologetically calls out the caste elephant in every room in modern India”
- SAGE Journals, “Book review: Suraj Yengde, Caste Matters”
- Goodreads, Caste Matters, reader reviews
- Books, Poetry and More, “Book Review”
