Caste biases in school textbooks: a case study from Odisha, India

ABSTRACT

This paper examines caste bias in Odia language textbooks prescribed by the Government in middle schools in the State of Odisha, India. The analysis focuses on 10 textbooks for Social Science and Odia literature prescribed for Classes IV to VIII. The framework proposed by Sadker and Zittleman (2007) to study gender bias in educational material in the United States is contextualized for an application to Indian textbooks. Content analysis identified seven types of bias, with ‘invisibility’ bias being the most important form of bias. This first-ever systematic analysis of caste bias within curricular material in India brings to fore the exclusion of Scheduled Castes. The persistence of caste bias across textbooks is in direct violation of the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework-2005 and systematically creates an illusion that Indian society is an equitable one. We suggest that there is a need for further evaluation of regional language school textbooks to assess the extent of bias in curricular material.

KEYWORDS:

• Textbook
• caste bias
• Odisha
• India
• content analysis

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Professor Madhura Swaminathan and Professor (Retired) V. K. Ramachandran for their encouragements and critical inputs.

Additional Information

The textbooks selected for the analysis are available on line at http://opepa.odisha.gov.in/website/e-textbook.aspx

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Brahmanisation has been evident in the emphasis on (1) ‘pure’ language, (2) literature and other ‘knowledge’ of society, history, polity, religion and culture that is produced by higher castes which reflects Brahmanical world view and experiences and Brahmanical perspectives on Indian society, history and culture, and (3) high caste, cultural and religious symbols, linguistic and social competencies, modes of life and behaviour. Furthermore, the overarching stress has been on eulogizing mental as against manual labour.” (ibid.)

2. RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)is the ideological mentor of Bharatiya Janata Party

3. Ex-untouchables who are categorized as Scheduled Castes in the Constitution of India

4. Acharya (2008) who studied freedom struggle in Odisha has pointed out that individuals from ‘low caste’ who joined Congress fought against the British Rule, and that members of Scheduled Castes even occupied leadership roles in various occasion and places in the freedom struggle.

5. (Brahman for priestly work, Kshatriya for administration and war, Vaishya for agriculture and other production related activities, and shudra for the service of the other three social group).

6. The institution of gurudakshina in Hindu tradition demands that a disciple gives something to the teacher after completion of the study.

7. Gurukul is an ancient system of providing education in India. It however admitted pupils of the top three varnas, hence Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes and women were not part of Gurukul.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Subhadarshee Nayak

Subhadarshee Nayak is a research scholar at the Economic Analysis Unit,  Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Centre.

Aardra Surendran

Aardra Surendran teaches at the Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India. E-mail: [email protected]