India 2012

In spring 2012, J585 students focused on reporting about the effect of caste and religion on South Asian culture and society in India and in Southern California. The foundation for caste, a much- misunderstood social system, is in ancient Hindu texts, but the classifications continue to delineate social and economic spheres for India’s Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims and Christians at home and abroad. J-585’s assignment was to investigate how caste and religion affect Indian law, business, gender relations and politics. At the very moment when India is poised to be a world power, how, where and why does caste affect its citizens? How does it affect Indian immigrants? About the project