Thenmozhi Soundararajan is an artist, organizer, and theorist as well as the executive director of Equality Labs. The North Atlantic Books author page and the Penguin Random House author page list her book, The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition. It was published November 15, 2022. This summarizes the book and includes the main points. It includes quotes from reviews. It lists the critiques. It identifies who may find the book of interest. It does not include therapy or health advice.
About Thenmozhi Soundararajan
Soundararajan refers to herself as a Dalit American artist, community organizer, technologist, and theorist. She is the co-founder and executive director of Equality Labs (Penguin Random House author page; Equality Labs). Tricycle describes her as an artist and Dalit activist. It mentions Equality Labs and describes Ambedkarite Buddhism. Our guide to Ambedkarite groups describes Equality Labs, and our guide to Navayana Buddhism describes the path of Buddhism Ambedkar’s followers took.
What is The Trauma of Caste about?
According to Library Journal, the author explores caste discrimination through the lens of trauma and advocates for the abolition of the caste system using her personal story and that of her family (Library Journal, “The Trauma of Caste”). This book also examines the historical and religious origins of the caste system and the ways it has pervaded social and legal structures (Library Journal). It identifies the shared struggle of Dalit and Black communities in the U.S. (Library Journal). Our post on Ambedkar and King provides background information on the connection between the two communities.
Goodreads reviewer
Goodreads reviewer says it is a feminist analysis on the trauma and a framework to understand Brahmanism. Reviewer also notes the book attempts to do many things at once (Goodreads, review).
Summary of The Trauma of Caste
According to a review, Soundararajan structures her book into four sections labeled “meditations”: The Existence of Caste, The Source of Caste, From Wounds to Liberation, and The End of Caste (Opinions of a Wolf, book review, December 2022). This book has a foreword by Tarana Burke, an epilogue by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, and an afterword by Cornel West (Penguin Random House).
The book includes many appendices with biographies of Dalit caste abolitionists, a summary of various Buddhist traditions, comparative data on caste from South Asian countries, exercises to become aware of social class biases, somatic exercises, a glossary and a bibliography. The publisher states the book contains embodiment exercises, reflections and meditations to help the reader understand their relationship to caste (Penguin Random House). These are the author’s exercises and should not be taken as medical or psychological advice.
Dalit feminist: how the book describes its approach
The author states, “… this book is an attempt to render caste from the multiple frameworks of Dalit feminism, and especially, the Dalit feminist meditation.” Furthermore, the author examines caste from feminist and abolitionist frameworks, and Dalit Buddhist frameworks. The author states that Dalit oppression and struggles for liberation are intertwined with struggles of Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities and femmes and queer communities (author’s website, dalitdiva.com; Opinions of a Wolf). The book includes a strong personal element. The author states, “Stories of people concealing their identities (i.e., by not mentioning their family names, native places and other personal details) suggest the very real fear among Dalits for outing themselves.” Our post on Yashica Dutt’s memoir includes a similar account and our post on Caste surnames explains why names are important.
What the critics are saying about The Trauma of Caste
Library Journal called the book “an important account of caste discrimination” and gave it a starred review. They praised the author for combining her own personal stories with data about discrimination and violence against Dalits to build a persuasive case against systematic violence and discrimination against Dalits. Tricycle describes the book as “essential” and says it uses both the author’s personal accounts and research to show how the caste system is inherently violent and discriminatory. Finally, the Seattle Book Review summarizes the praise for the book, calling it a “fascinating mosaic” that integrates elements of the author’s meditation practice, philosophy and politics as well as Caste history and personal memoir (Penguin Random House, praise by Prachi Patankar). Endorsements are marketing, so please read them as such.
Criticisms
I didn’t see a lot of negative reviews. According to a Goodreads reviewer, the book tries to be too many things at once. It attempts to be an introduction to Caste, a feminist meditation on healing and a political call for the abolition of Caste all at the same time. The book also takes sides about controversial questions such as the theology of caste and where it originated in Hinduism. The author cites data and surveys produced by Equality Labs, of which she is a co-founder, including a survey on Caste that has been criticized for its sample size as mentioned in our guide to Caste in America.
Who is this for?
This is for people interested in a Dalit feminist and Ambedkarite perspective on caste as trauma, and an introduction to caste in the USA and South Asia. See our reviews of Ants Among Elephants and Caste Matters by Suraj Yengde, and our reading list, for other recommendations.
Why this is important
Soundararajan’s organisation has been involved in the cases we wrote about caste discrimination in the tech sector and caste-related slurs, and this book includes her experiences related to this work. We have a separate document that explains who Dalits are. (Advanced blogging, email marketing and other digital skills are becoming vital for communities to document their experiences. The Ambedkarite Educational Program was built to teach these skills.)
What you need to know
Thenmozhi Soundararajan’s The Trauma of Caste (2022) is a Dalit feminist work that presents caste as trauma and calls for its abolition, through a mixture of personal narrative, history and data, interspersed with exercises. Soundararajan takes positions on certain contentious issues. Her exercises are based on her personal experience, and do not constitute health and wellness advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Thenmozhi Soundararajan?
A Dalit American artist, organizer and theorist and co-founder and executive director of Equality Labs, a Dalit civil rights organization.
What is The Trauma of Caste about?
It is about caste discrimination and the trauma related to it, and it is based on the author’s personal story and that of her family, historical and intellectual traditions of caste discrimination, and the call for its abolition and healing.
What does “Dalit feminist” mean in the title?
It indicates that the author explores caste and other intersecting oppressions from a feminist, Dalit Buddhist and abolitionist perspective, and ties Dalit liberation to other liberation struggles.
Is it worth reading?
According to Library Journal, it is an important account, and the Seattle Book Review found it persuasive. One reader felt it attempted to accomplish too many things.
Does it provide health guidance?
It offers embodiment exercises to its readers. This resource does not provide medical advice, and the exercises are not a substitute for professional help.
Understanding caste is step one. Building digital independence is step two.
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SOURCES
- Penguin Random House, The Trauma of Caste, publisher’s page (North Atlantic Books)
- Library Journal, review of The Trauma of Caste
- Tricycle, “‘The Trauma of Caste’ Is Essential Reading”
- Seattle Book Review, review of The Trauma of Caste
- Opinions of a Wolf, book review, December 2022
- Goodreads, The Trauma of Caste, reader reviews
- Thenmozhi Soundararajan, author’s website
- Reading Religion, The Trauma of Caste, publication details
