Untouchable claims

Nicole Alvarez

04/23/13

 

            In the novel Untouchable, we see a world where people are divided by a caste system that controls everyday life. Over the course of the novel we come across several instances in which the inequality and discrimination is clear . One major event is the hockey game during which members of different castes mingle and engage in a contact sport. The main character, Bahka participates in this game after receiving a hockey stick as a secret gift from a member of an upper caste. After Bahka, an untouchable scores a goal a fight erupts among men of different castes and from different neighborhoods. During this quarrel there was an incident with a young boy who gets injured. Bahka is the only person that tried helping the boy yet instead of receiving gratitude he is met with disdain by the boy’s mother. She automatically assumes he is responsible for the injury and insults him. Although he is an untouchable he behaved in a noble manner and was still condemned by society. Throughout the novel Bahka is faced with this constant disapproval which makes he feels resentment towards upper castes but also a strong desire to be accepted into their realm.

 

The conflict in the novel between Bahka’s resentment and his longing for acceptance demonstrates to readers how effective racial formation is and that accepting this idea places an internalized notion of prejudice.

The balance of power always places groups on opposite ends of the spectrum which results in conflict

Blog Four: Cluster Connections

As a transfer student I was a bit surprised when I went to new student registration and was handed a packet of pre sorted classes with assigned times and a common theme. As I looked through the different options Race and Culture was among the few that caught my eye.  I was curious about how this idea of the cluster classes would work out and now that we are about halfway through the semester I understand why cluster courses are successful. All of my classes are interrelated and focus on basically the same core principle. This connection has been extremely helpful with understanding all the material and being able to make connection even helps participation grades. At the same time each class and professor takes this common theme and further elaborates in different aspects. Overall we came across several common key words and ideologies in all our classes. One common idea among the three classes is that Race is not in fact a biological concept. Instead it is a cultural logic that we use to classify one another. In all three classes we discuss racial discrimination and power in different areas and towards different groups of people. In Slave and Citizen, Tannenbaum provides evidence of the slave system in areas outside of America such as Portugal, Brazil and Spain. In Cultural Anthropology we read a few articles that focus on African Americans during and post slavery adapting to several countries such as “ The Black Diaspora in Costa Rica” and “Blessed Anastacia”. The connection among the courses really offered insight because one of the predominant issues is that race is not real and we created it. I find it interesting that we ourselves created this elusive barrier of race that is responsible for much of the injustice throughout history and present in the world. I’ve acknowledged the fact that we ultimately may never be color blind because we live by this set of rules that involve a hierarchy based on race and gender. I am pleasantly surprised at how effective the cluster courses can be and believe it would be beneficial for freshman and new students to experience this during their first semester to help with the transition process. What I enjoy about these courses the most is that they pose challenging questions such as how we would describe ourselves when asked about our ethnicity or race. Another thing I find extremely refreshing is that our professors give us information and news that most people are not aware of. As students we appreciate not being taught simply based on a syllabus. We like receiving other information such as global/internal affairs or the hidden support of drug cartels in governments because it makes us feel as if receiving this information is a sign that we are respected not just as students but also as adults and intellectual minds. This would be ideal if it were part of each student’s college experience in every class all throughout America.