Society · 13 Oct 2026

caste discrimination diaspora

Consider the following statements:

  1. B.R. Ambedkar presented his paper "Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development" at Columbia University in 1916.
  2. The UK Equality Act, 2010 lists caste as an explicit protected characteristic alongside race and religion.
  3. Seattle became the first city in the United States to ban caste discrimination in 2023.
A1 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
This question is based on: Caste Travels Light: Why Migration Carries the Hierarchy It Was Meant to Escape
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 13 Oct 2026
About this question

Why in news

The Hindu published a Spotlight feature on Dalit scholars at Oxford, SOAS and Stanford who report caste exclusion within the Indian diaspora. It also covered campaigns to make caste a protected category in UK law.

Why for UPSC

UPSC often tests the gap between a legal power that exists and a power that has actually been used. Here, the UK Act enables caste protection but has never applied it. The 1916 paper is a standard static anchor in Indian society questions.

Prelims summary

Ambedkar's 1916 Columbia paper predicted that caste would travel with migration. The UK can add caste to its Equality Act under Section 9(5)(a) but has never done so. Seattle (2023) is the first US city to ban caste discrimination, while California's SB 403 was vetoed.

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