Indian diaspora, caste and public diplomacy: a study of digital diaspora

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article critically engages with the conceptual framework of diplomacy and the question of caste. Although Nehruvian foreign policy enunciated the spirit of anti-colonialism, anti-racial discrimination, and anti-imperialism, it failed to uphold anti-caste diplomacy in post-colonial International Relations. The caste system eclipsed Indian foreign policy by treating Dalits as ‘docile bodies’ (Foucault 1979). An increasing role of Indian diaspora in foreign policy discourse has established a new typology of diplomacy, ‘people-to-people’ relations in India’s transnational communication. Long ago, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had warned that although caste is a local problem, if the caste Hindus were to migrate to other regions on the earth, it would become a global problem. In such context, this article examines the role of digital diaspora networks in legislating anti-caste laws and policies in UK, EU, USA, and Canada. Eventually, it provides a perspective on the lack of diplomatic protection for Dalits in the international relations.