Anti-caste pedagogy as a personal and political statement

In an interview with Amrita DasGupta, Srilata Sircar expounds on anti-caste pedagogy in the context of international higher education, especially as the number of Indian students overseas increases. Sircar explains how caste, a rigid social hierarchy that originates in India, operates as a structuring force in Indian diasporic communities against a backdrop of decolonisation and social justice. Amrita and Srilata eschew Eurocentric approaches to caste and discuss how experienced lecturers and early-career teachers can develop an intentional pedagogic approach shaped by personal, political, and research experiences. The interview explores curriculum design, classroom practice, disciplinary traditions, and academic identity as sites of anti-caste intervention. It highlights the importance of understanding students’ backgrounds, tailoring the pre-reading carefully, and facilitating contentious and emotive discussions in the classroom. In this way, the article contributes to nascent scholarship on caste-conscious teaching in Western institutional contexts.