Of Dalits, Disabilities and Devadasis

Abstract

Perched precariously on the intersection of caste, class, gender and disability, the Dalit woman suffers multiple forms of discrimination simultaneously and throughout her lifetime—as a Dalit, as a poor and as a woman with disability. With the caste system making a blatant declaration that Dalit women are intrinsically impure and ‘untouchable’, systematic social exclusion and endemic exploitation against this largely invisible section of the women population is not just sanctioned but enforced with impunity. This article attempts to undertake an exploration of the interrelationship between disability, gender, caste and class in Dalit people’s access to opportunities, hoping thereby, to contribute towards perceiving exclusion and marginalities better when it comes to addressing the Dalit experience in an unequal society.