Kavya Harshitha Jidugu
“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
— Lilla Watson
Caste is deeply rooted in the Savarna psyche and is an insidious phenomenon; whether enacted in conservative contexts or progressive spaces, explicitly or through protected ignorance, it continues to inflict violence on Dalits. In the 21st century, although caste is still overtly and violently practiced, I will shift the attention to the covert and pervasive casteism reproduced on university campuses through the means of allyship. I often experienced the most violent forms of casteism in the so-called “progressive spaces” from the so-called “savarna allies” in the anti-caste movement. Progressive savarnas, in particular, often engage in allyship that paradoxically reinforces caste hierarchies, perpetuating oppression under the guise of solidarity.
For many Dalit students like me, the moment we begin calling out the internalized casteism and savarna fragility of these ‘allies,’ the response turns into an attack, often deeply personal and degrading. For instance, rather than viewing such moments as opportunities for growth, savarna allies may react defensively, accusing the critic of “pushing allies aside” or “causing harm” by labeling them casteist. Instead of introspection, we are accused of overreacting, making baseless allegations, or breaking friendships, further alienating us and silencing our voices. Such actions are counter-liberatory and derail the very work of solidarity the savarnas claim to uphold. From my perspective, the way the allyship is currently carried out not only fails to effectively challenge caste oppression but also ends up reinforcing it.
“Alliance”, with its foundations built on maintaining the interests of the privileged party and preserving privilege is ineffective in dismantling oppressive structures. Cutrone (2023) argues that it fails to disrupt normative subjectivity and is merely performative. In this context, allyship is seen by the privileged as a benevolent act undertaken by the self-proclaimed savior, rooted in the principles of the colonial mindset. The savarna savior complex, often internalized by allies in educational spaces, reduces Dalit students to mere carriers of caste discrimination experiences and nothing more than that. Dalits for these “allies” are valuable only as sources of caste experiences and not as thinkers, theorists, or intellectuals. Such a perspective not only erases the intellectual labor of Dalit scholars but also reinforces the stereotype that only savarnas can be seen as experts or theorists. Any calling out of these Savarna allies is co-opted by a language that reveals a defensive stance that reframes critique as harm.
During my time on campus, I encountered a liberal savarna woman introduced to me by a professor familiar with my anti-caste work. The professor shared that this individual had visited their office with a passionate suggestion: “We need to distribute Annihilation of Caste to the door of every professor here!”. On the surface, her enthusiasm appeared promising, a sign of commitment to the anti-caste movement within the university. The professor connected us, likely envisioning collaboration. However, when I later approached her to collaborate on preparing anti-caste content for an initiative, she opted to take on a minimal role, offering to format the document and explaining that she was not “well-versed” in anti-caste literature. This interaction reflects a recurring pattern in savarna allyship within academic spaces, where performative gestures of solidarity often overshadow substantive engagement. While publicly expressing support for anti-caste principles, such allies frequently hesitate to engage in the intellectual and emotional labor necessary to interrogate their own positionality or contribute meaningfully to the movement.
Savarna allies in anti caste spaces when asked to speak about their privilege as a dominant caste South Asians, instead of addressing their positionality they discuss how painful caste is for Dalits. They end this long intellectual performance by critiquing the government, devoid of any introspection on their positionality and complicity as a savarna. One could see the omission of self-accountability during such acts, yet typical of the savarna allyship I had come to witness: centering themselves as the saviours while leaving their privilege untouched. In anti-caste spaces, these intellectual performances, while outwardly supportive, often lack any substantive introspection or acknowledgment of these allies own role in upholding caste hierarchies. By occupying significant space in discussions and representation, while avoiding the ground-level work of structural change, this form of allyship becomes performative, perpetuating the very hierarchies it claims to challenge. Savarna allies by refusing to engage critically with their privilege, reinforce the hierarchical dynamics, where the burden of caste is displaced onto Dalits while savarnas remain comfortably removed from the uncomfortable work of self-introspection.
Given the pervasiveness of performative allyship, this essay calls for a reimagining of the path toward the annihilation of caste. It urges individuals with savarna privilege to move beyond conventional ideas of allyship and solidarity and instead embrace a revolutionary restructuring of politics towards the annihilation of caste by challenging the very ontologies predicated on violence. Thereby asking to work towards becoming an accomplice, committing to deep self-reflection, questioning ingrained norms, and refusing the ways of being and functioning that sustain savarna identity and privilege. An accomplice is not merely vocal but actively rejects the legitimization of these oppressive structures both within and outside themselves. They recognize that they are beneficiaries of systems that perpetuate inequality and, through personal and collective resistance, challenge these systems at every level (Cutrone, 2023). This shift in perspective breaks the existing power dynamics and enables the privileged to contribute meaningfully, not by doing a favor for the oppressed, but by transforming from within. Being an accomplice demands the process of unlearning and relearning and a willingness to prioritize the marginalized’s voices and experiences over the privileged’s interests. Within the politics of self-proclaimed allyship ultimately, the oppressed community, the ones who bear the weight of caste, hold the true measure of solidarity. Their lived experiences are the clearest indication of whether someone’s actions are in genuine support of the anti-caste struggle.
References
Cutrone, A. (2023). Beyond distinctions: A treatise on abolition and accomplice work. Decolonization of Memory. Eidos. 34. 14-40. 10.14482/eidos.34.415
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Jidugu Kavya Harshitha is a doctoral student in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, Canada.
