hosted by the soas south asia institute caste · pdf filehosted by the soas south asia...

SOAS South Asia Institute 1

Saturday, 5 September 2015 at SOAS, University of London, WC1

Hosted by the SOAS South Asia Institute

OUT OF THE SHADOWS A conference on caste, inequality and development - for development professionals, funders and policy-makers

CASTE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Photo credit: Ms Thenmozhi Soundararajan / All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch

Caste 2015 conference 2

MAKE A STATEMENT

We are keen to maximise the opportunity for delegates to ac-tively participate in this debate, before, during and after the

conference. To facilitate this, we are inviting conference partic-ipants to share thoughts on caste-based discrimination, pover-ty, and economic and social development by providing written

statements.

Visit: https://docs.google.com/a/soas.ac.uk/forms/d/12PPG-GRMVf9GyTSsZSsB0UpbFz0-GHRW7hj4OpFx-gyg/viewform

There will be an opportunity to include hand written statements during the event itself. Look out for the notice boards during

break times.

Share your comments and photos

Twitter: #Caste2015

Facebook: @SouthAsia.SOAS

GET INVOLVED


Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Organised in Partnership with

Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839, is the world’s oldest international human rights organisation and works at local, national and international levels to eliminate all forms of slavery around the world, including forced labour, bonded labour, trafficking of human beings, descent-based slavery and the worst forms of child labour.

http://www.antislavery.org/

DSN brings together organisations and individuals in the UK who are concerned with caste-based discrimination and aims to link grassroots priorities with international mechanisms and institutions to make an effective contribution to the liberation of those affected by caste discrimination.

http://dsnuk.org/

Karuna works with local community groups to help South Asia’s poorest people lead meaningful and dignified lives. We are committed to human development, enabling people to escape poverty, access their legal rights and participate fully in society. For us, we want every person to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential regardless of their caste, gender, belief or ability.

https://www.karuna.org/

Village Service Trust has been working for more than 35 years to support marginalised people in their pursuit of lives free from poverty, violence and discrimination in Tamil Nadu, southern India. The close relationships we maintain with our local partners ensure that grassroots knowledge is at the centre of our approach to sustainable community development.

http://villageservicetrust.org.uk/


PROGRAMMETime Session Room Speakers Topic Chair

9.00 Registration, tea/coffee

Brunei Gallery Suite

9.30 Welcome

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

Prof. Michael Hutt, Director, South Asia Institute

Prof. David Mosse, Head of Social Anthropology, SOAS

9.45 Keynote

Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat,

Chair, Indian Council of Social Science Research

How caste impedes economic development Prof. David Mosse

10.15-11.45 Caste today

Prof. Ashwini Deshpande, Delhi University

Prof.Barbara Harriss-White, Oxford University

Dr Ramesh Nathan, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

The new grammar of caste: changing contours of caste disadvantage

Dalits and adivasis in In-dia’s business economy

Changing nature and context of atrocities on Dalits: need for re-strate-gising of solidarity

Meena Varma, Director,

Dalit Solidarity Network

11.45-12.15 Tea/coffee


12.15-1.15

Caste meets gender


Asha Kowtal, NCDHR

Dr.Jayshree Mangubhai, Change Alliance

Intersection of caste and gender

Caste, gender and human rights

Murali Shanmugavelan, SOAS

1.15-2.15 LunchBrunei Gallery Suite

Opportunity to post reactions to others’ statements about caste and devel-opment

2.15-3.10

Context and action


Dr. Prakash Louis, Researcher and activist

Dr. Anand Kumar, Director of PACS (Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme)

Ashif Shaiklh, Jan Sahas social development society (Karuna Trust)

Is there a role for international NGOs?

Access to services and entitlements

The manual scavenging campaign: barefoot law-yers and burning baskets

Dr.Aidan Mc-Quade, Director,

Anti-Slavery International


Time Session Room Topic Chair

3.10-4.00

Four breakout groups for discussion of various aspects of the key question: “How should development funders, practitioners and policy developers address caste and inequality

B101

Group 1 – Social development

Resource people:

Ashwini Deshpande

Ashif Shaiklh

Sundara Babu

Padmadaka, Director,

Karuna Trust

B104

Group 2 – Economic development

Resource people:

Barbara Harriss-White

Sukhadeo Thorat

Prof. David Mosse

B111

Group 3 - Gender

Resource people:

Jayshree Mangubhai

Asha Kowtal

Nadia Saracini, Senior Policy Advisor,

Christian Aid

B102

Group 4 – Human rights

Resource people:

Anand Kumar

Prakash Louis

Ramesh Nathan

Meena Varma

4.00-4.30 Tea/coffee


4.30-5.00 Feedback


Responses from the breakout sessions Prof. Michael Hutt

5.00-5.30 Panel Discussion


Discussion on the key points from the day Prof. David Mosse

5.30-7.00 Drinks reception


An opportunity for informal discussion


Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor of Economics, Delhi University

Specialist in: Economics of discrimination and affirmative actionWill speak about: The new grammar of caste: changing contours of caste disadvantage

Ashwini Deshpande has studied and written widely about caste and gender from an economics perspective.

Professor Barbara Harriss-White, Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, Oxford University

Specialist in: Political economy of India; India’s informal economy; caste and businessWill speak about: Dalits and Adivasis in India’s business economy

Barbara Harriss-White has undertaken extensive research into the workings of markets in rural South Asia, poverty and social welfare.

“As fewer Indians remain poor, more and more of those that remain poor are Dalits and Adivasis”

Asha Kowtal, General Secretary, All India Dalit Women’s Rights Forum

Specialist in: State impunity and casteWill speak about: Breaking state impunity - reality and challenges

Asha Kowtal is an expert on Dalit women’s issues in India who is leading a new generation of Dalit women in their fight against oppression and multiple discrimination.

“When Dalit women leaders begin to speak - nothing can stop the caravan for justice”

Anand Kumar, Director of PACS (Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme)

Leads a DFID flagship programme that is aiming to ensure access to rights and entitlements for socially excluded groups.Will speak about: Access to services and entitlements; role of civil society organisations and international NGOs

Anand Kumar is a committed professional development leader with 18 years of experience of social work in India, grounded in grassroots activism and a deep commitment for addressing issues of poverty, social exclusion and inequalities and for achieving an inclusive and just society.

Prakash Louis, Researcher and activist

Specialist in: Civil Society Activism and Transnational Advocacy on Caste and DevelopmentWill speak about: Can INGOs work on caste in south Asia

Prakash Louis - for more than two decades as a social and human rights activist has been involved in action and research to uphold the rights of the Dalits, Adivasis (Tribals) and minorities.

Dr. Sundara Babu Nagappan, Activist and Researcher

Involved in several ongoing action research with specialisation on caste, land relations, wage, and conflict transformation

Sundara Babu is a civil society activist, a public policy analyst and a peace researcher. He has been associated with various rights-based groups and Geo-cultural movements across South Asia for last 15 years. He was also part of the recent SOAS study - “Caste Out of Development” as a postdoctoral researcher.

THE SPEAKERS


Dr Ramesh Nathan, General secretary, National Dalit Movement for JusticeSpecialist in: Dalit human rights and access to justiceWill speak about: Changing nature and context of atrocities on Dalits: the need for re-strategising of solidarity

Ramesh Nathan is one of the leaders of India’s National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights. NCDHR undertakes advocacy on public policy implementation and mobilises citizens to access their rights.

Jayshree Mangubhai, Senior Programme Officer for Policy and Advocacy at Change Alliance

Specialist in: Human rights and development, especially Dalit and indigenous people’s rightsWill speak about: Opportunities and challenges in addressing intersectional discrimination and violence

Jayshree Mangubhai is a human rights lawyer, academic and development practitioner who has a longstanding commitment to issues of human rights and development in India, especially Dalit and Adivasi rights and the issues faced by Dalit women.

“An analysis of caste-class-gender dynamics is imperative if you want to understand Indian society”

Ashif Shaiklh, Secretary, Jan Sahas social development society

Leading figure in the Campaign for Dignity, liberating 14,000 Dalits from manual scavengingWill speak about: Barefoot lawyers and the burning baskets campaign

Ashif Shaiklh is a prominent campaigner for the eradication of manual scavenging and author of four books and many articles on human rights.He founded Jan Sahas, a leading human rights and social development organisation based in Madhya Pradesh. “The manual carrying of human faeces is not a form of employment, but an injustice akin to slavery. It is one of the most prominent forms of discrimination against Dalits, and it is central to the violation of their human rights.”

Professor Sukhadeo Thorat, Chair, Indian Council of Social Science Research

Specialist in: Caste and economic development Will speak about: How caste slows economic development Sukhadeo Thorat has spent 40 years researching and writing about economic growth and social exclusion and the impact of the caste system on inequality.

“Caste is a unique dysfunctional economic institution”


1st FLOOR B101B102B104B111

Ladies & Gents Toilets are available on all floors

GROUND FLOOR Brunei Suite (BS)(Registration, Refreshments)

Ladies & Gents Toilets are available on all floors

LOWER GROUND FLOOR Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre (BGLT) Ladies & Gents Toilets are available on all floors

BRUNEI GALLERY SOAS, University of London

Thornhaugh StreetRussell Square

FLOOR PLAN

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