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OVERCASTE: Confront. Disrupt. Evolve

17.7.2024

OVERCASTE: Confront. Disrupt. Evolve

Casteism

In the shadows of our community lurks the evil of caste.

From the innocence lost on the playground to the insidious disrespect in the workplace, from shattered dreams to broken hearts, caste-based discrimination is real and continuous to have an adverse impact on thousands of people in Canada today.

Brushed aside, but openly practiced, casteism continues to perpetuate a legacy of harm and injustice. It’s time to confront this harsh reality, disrupt the normalization of caste discrimination, and collectively evolve towards a fair and just society.

Our community needs a mirror reflecting the uncomfortable truth we shy away from: as we fight for racial and gender equity, we unapologetically continue the practice of caste. Who are we? Who do we celebrate and who’s stories do we erase?

What’s your name? Where are you from? Too many know the feeling of unease when we are asked questions designed to locate our caste — simple questions with dire consequences. It’s the whispers and comments at social gatherings. It’s the off-hand comments in the lunchrooms. It’s the casual way one’s caste is used as a slur between ‘friends’.

This isn’t about the past. It’s a revelation of our present complacency and indifference. We can no longer deny our role in perpetuating the violence of caste. We need accountability—what have we done, what are we doing, and what will we do to dismantle the structures that uphold caste? So many of us say we are against caste, yet how many of us are actually working against it?

We need a catalyst for change. A challenge to confront social norms, disrupt the silence, and evolve beyond the proud chains of a casteist society. Together, we can reimagine and rebuild our communities—through understanding, empathy, and collective responsibility.

Through the lens of media, the power of storytelling, and the experience of art, we are delivering a raw and powerful look at who we really are and the harm we continue to do to each other.

Confront. Disrupt. Evolve. The time is now.

“Our unity is our strength, and when our heads are held high, no one can stop our power.” - Lal Singh Dil

Funded By: Government of Canada

Community Partners:

  • Belonging Matters Consulting
  • Burnaby Village Museum
  • Nanak Foods
  • Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha (Vancouver)
  • Sikh Heritage Month BC
  • Sikh Heritage Museum
  • Talk Shop Media

Academic Partners:

  • South Asian Canadian Digital Archive
  • South Asian Studies Institute at UFV
  • UBC Centre for India and South Asia Research
  • UBC Department of English Language and Literatures
  • UBC Department of History
  • UBC Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice
  • UBC Department of Geography
  • Cal Poly SLO's Ethnic Studies Department
  • Department of Asian American Studies at UC Davis Department of Punjabi Diaspora Studies at UC Davis Sikh
  • LGBTQIA+ Oral History Project
  • Sikh Studies at UC Irvine

Exhibit Team:

Exhibit Co-Curator

  • Anita Lal
  • Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra

Advisor: Mo Dhaliwal

Creative Director: Jessie Sohpaul

Web Design: Shan Dhaliwal

Researchers:

  • Dr. Sasha Sabherwal
  • manmit singh
  • Saira Kanwal

Marketing and Research Assistant: Jagreet Dhadli

Research Assistant: Meena Hira

Executive Assistant: Parveen Hira

Additional Thanks:

  • Badhan Family
  • Dr. Milan Singh, The Nameless Collective
  • Hira Family
  • Jindi Singh
  • Jhalli Family
  • Khera Family
  • Mehmi Family
  • Sohpaul Family