Notes on Untouchability Asia-link

The main question that needs answering is: what is untouchability exactly? What does the
term refer to in Indian society? It was said that in fact untouchability in Indian society is
generally used to refer to devatas which are very pure (ApauruSheya), and thus it has a
positive connotation. However, today, untouchability has the very negative connotation of
discrimination, denial of rights, etc. Then how and in what context was untouchability
formulated with such a negative connotation? For this, research into early European travel
reports and descriptions is needed.
Moreover, untouchability in India is very context sensitive: somebody cannot be touched,
only under certain circumstances or it exists only between certain people. Thus, the term
cannot refer to a community or a group of people.
Untouchability has been interpreted as an inter-caste practice. However, this cannot be the
case: If untouchability, which is said to be mostly practiced by the Brahmins, was general,
then how can Brahmins daily travel in buses or trains? How could they have been the first to
travel abroad in the late 19th century?
In 16th century descriptions, for instance, we find descriptions of untouchability that claim
that whenever a Brahmin or Naiyar passes in the street, the people walking there are
warned by the servants to leave the street, so that he should not be touched.(1) How did
he just know that it was a Brahmin or Naiyar? (2) Even if it was a Brahman, this does not tell
us anything about the caste system. If this were the case, then all Brahmins and Naiyar
should have been extremely wealthy, so that all of them could have a servant to clear the
streets before them. It has long been known that there is no correlation between being
Brahmin or Naiyar and being wealthy. This is another argument to say that it is impossible
for such kind of practices to exist as part of the caste system.
Enumerate other examples, such as untouchables as slaves of the rich landowners: certain
distance between landowner and slave, etc.
Something about Manu and the Purushashukta.
Shanmukha explained how certain practices are limited to a very small number of
communities and, what is more, vary from place to place, in the sense that in certain places
some communities will face some discrimination or will not be well-off, whereas in other
areas they will be very well-off and respected. This can be shown by fieldwork data. It was
then suggested that it would be very interesting to trace where the kind of propaganda
started that described these practices as if they were general practices of the caste system
as the immoral social structure of India.
The anger of the Dalit writers is mainly focused on the fact that they had not been allowed
into Hinduism, which placed them outside of the fold. They had their own religion, their own
priests, and temples etc. but suddenly, it became a problem that they generally did not
enter into certain temples, did not make use of certain priests, did not know the Vedas, etc.
Some suggestions were also made for the continuation of the fieldwork at Kuvempu
University that has been going on in collaboration with Ghent University.
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next step: where does the negative connotation of untouchables come from?

We dont have the word in our languages for people, only for fire e.g. When did it start?
17th century?

Tracing of earliest sources that speak about untouchability in terms of inter-caste

discrimination. What is the context? How did the propaganda grow? What has been the
contribution of secularization? Missionary literature. When did it become evident to call
poor people Dalits/Untouchables and equate the rich with Brahmin or Naiyars?

How many scheduled castes are there? Most writers couldnt tell. Huge number of
untouchables or Dalits. Largest portion of society is SC/ST. How can this majority be
oppressed by a minority that is not even an organised community with possibilities of
law enforcement? Moreover, to be backward is an advantage now. How come? Today
living in a hill area is also a reason to be OBC. -> Fieldwork data