This chapter explores the legal efforts to address cast discrimination, including a prominent lawsuit against Cisco Systems. It also discusses the opposition to laws banning caste-based discrimination, examining reasons such as the historical dominance of upper castes within the Indian American community and concerns about the association between caste and Hinduism.
A bill outlawing caste-based discrimination in California could become the first law of its kind in the US. Reporter Sonia Paul explains the backlash to the bill, and Georgetown University’s Ananya Chakravarti explains how India's ancient social hierarchy became a problem here.
This episode was produced by Haleema Shah and Isabel Angell with an assist from Siona Peterous, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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