The Problem of Caste in the North American University
- Mar. 21, 2023 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
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A collaboration event between the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.
Efforts to officially make caste—a millennia-old system of stratification, division of labour, and discrimination—a protected category are well under way in postsecondary institutions throughout the United States. The conversation is beginning at educational institutions across Canada. The UAlberta and the UCalgary are collaborating with international activists and scholars on a series of conversations to raise awareness about caste-based discrimination. Panel I: Dalit-Bahujan Feminist Knowledges and Praxis took place on International Women's Day, March 8, 2023.
We acknowledge the intellectual labour and vision of Dr. Shaista Patel (Assistant Prof Critical Muslim Studies, UC, San Diego) in helping come up with the event topics and speakers that we have in this series.
Panel II: The Problem of Caste in the North American University
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination12 - 1.30 p.m. MST
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2023, we will be joined by four Dalit-Bahujan leaders who have been instrumental in the struggle to make caste legible and a protected category in North American universities and other institutional contexts. Come and learn from their research and experiences, how caste-based discrimination and violence manifest in the North American academy. The panelists will consider the challenges faced by Dalit-Bahujan students, staff, and faculty in universities and other spaces. They will offer insights into how caste operates in everyday environments, how they organize for social and institutional change, and what you can do to effect change.
About Mitigating Caste-Based Discrimination Initiative
Recognizing the continuing harms of caste-based discrimination, including maintaining a form of social and intergenerational structural inequality, and the need to promote equity by mitigating case-based discrimination in the postsecondary sector and broader society, the Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Alberta and the Vice Provost and Associate Vice President (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Calgary are collaborating to raise awareness, educate, and develop a nondiscrimination policy on caste-based discrimination.
There are three interrelated objectives of this inter-institutional equity collaboration.
1. The aim is to raise awareness and develop educational opportunities for the campus communities and the broader public to learn about caste-based discrimination.
2. Second and related, this collaboration aims to host a series of educational webinars on caste, gender, and intersectionality in the Winter, Spring, and Fall 2023 academic terms.
3. Third, and in consultation with each institution's respective campus communities and governance bodies, our goal is to develop a nondiscrimination policy to make caste a protected ground at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.
FAQ Caste-Based Discrimination Initiative
Upcoming events:
Panel III: Organizing to Make Caste a Protected Category
via Zoom (link to come)
Date: April TBD, 2023, Dalit History Month
Time: 12-1:30pm (MST)
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- Free
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Alumni
Community, Public
Faculty, Staff
Prospective Students
Undergraduate Students
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