Academic Agraharas

Several contemporary academics and writers have called out university spaces for operating as a microcosm of Brahmin-Savarna dominance, resembling a "manufactured Agrahara." Delhi School of Social Work - the department at Delhi University where I am currently a junior research fellow - is no different. It functions with the aim of perpetuating the cycle of creating and reproducing "social workers", who are expected to be Brahmin Savarna men or atleast Brahmanical, who work for the supposed betterment of the downtrodden.

Confronting Academic Casteism

About a year ago, I remember facing some very learned, very Brahmin panellists who sat in front of me as I proposed the idea of exploring the possibility of an anti-caste feminist framework of social work pedagogy. Most of the questions that the viva focused on didn't go any further than a single statement on page five of my proposal - "Debrahmanising Social Work Academic Spaces".

All spaces constantly communicate, often subtly, who is allowed to exist within them. The messaging is clear: our presence is not a matter of right, but is an abnormality, a token charity begrudgingly extended to us.

Daily Experiences of Discrimination

This resentment and discomfort is clearly visible amongst Brahmin Savarnas on campus - especially if someone is vocal about their identity and ideology. I remember sitting in the department library a while ago, when a Brahmin PhD scholar came and sat beside me and flashed a big smile at me initially, which then vanished as she noticed my books and a sticker of Babasaheb on my laptop. She leaned in and remarked "You have too much Ambedkar around you".

As someone with massive amounts of privilege, but also positioned at the multiple intersections of marginalisation as an OBC queer non-binary person, I have witnessed and experienced the pervasive casteist patriarchy that defines everyday interactions within the department.

Classroom Dynamics

During classroom discussions and activities, Savarna students, especially men, blatantly occupy spaces and don't let anyone else counter them. When I initiate discussions in classrooms on caste and Ambedkar, the Savarna students are the first to appropriate and dominate these conversations under the guise of "progressiveness" and being "politically correct".

When Ambedkar's texts are shared and corresponding assignments are given to the class - Brahmin Savarna students ridicule Babasaheb and express their contempt towards him with statements like "Gandhi ji ke efforts zyada valuable hai caste system ke against" or "Ambedkar ne sirf apni community ke liye kaam kiya hai".

Institutional Violence

Bullying, harassment and verbal abuse are an everyday occurrence on campus. Even professors from marginalised caste-backgrounds are continuously harassed, ridiculed and abused by Brahmin-Savarna students or more accurately, goons. "Chutiya", "Chapri" and "Chamar" are used as casteist slurs on a daily basis towards marginalised caste-background faculty members.

Conclusion

The oppressive structures of caste and patriarchy that permeate university spaces like the Delhi School of Social Work are not incidental; they are deliberate and systemic, designed to reinforce Brahmin-Savarna dominance while tokenising marginalised communities. These institutions function as fortresses of caste privilege, where Brahmanical patriarchy operates unchecked, gatekeeping opportunities, silencing voices and perpetuating exclusionary practices.

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