Like many people recently I've been observing the rise of populism and the continuing deadly effects of racial conflict (especially in the USA) with anger, frustration and sorrow. 'Why is this still happening?' is a question I continuously ask myself and seek answers for by reading a variety of journalists and listening to social commentators. I was aware of many of the historic reasons which would allow hierarchies and systems of injustice to remain in place, but reading Isabel Wilkerson's “Caste” has better equipped me with a framework, understanding and language with which to comprehend why society continues to experience such strident conflict. In this extensive, well-researched and compulsively-readable study the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist clearly defines the difference between racism and the caste system at the heart of American society by drawing parallels with the examples of Nazi Germany and the long-established caste system in India. In doing so, she powerfully describes the way artificial hierarchies in any society create a vicious imbalance of power that leads to the subjugation of a certain segment of the population.
Wilkerson illustrates her points with many examples (both personal and well-documented historic cases) that bring her arguments to life and explain why progressive legislation alone can't dispel with persistent racism. Caste is a psychology that's been bred into the national identity leading to countless examples of injustice which have long-term detrimental effects for every member of our society. Although it shouldn't have surprised me, I was startled to learn how the Reichstag looked to codified racism in America to inform the anti-Jewish legislation created in their 1935 “Party Rally of Freedom” meeting in Nuremberg. The author also details many specific examples of how the caste systems in different nations has led to the dehumanization or deaths of individuals designated to be of lower caste. I felt a furious sympathy reading about the memories Wilkerson recounts where she as a woman of African American heritage has been slighted or discriminated against because of her position in the caste system – especially as someone who frequently inhabits spaces traditionally designated for the dominant caste. It reminded me of the importance of speaking up when witnessing examples of injustice and to examine more closely my own unconscious biases as a product of the caste system.
Some people try to explain or dismiss specific examples of racism as unfortunate isolated cases. For instance, it's frequently claimed that the many cases of US police officers using extreme force against unarmed black men are simply due to the actions of a few “bad apples”. Rather than trying to simplify these violations as extreme cases of racism, Wilkerson's book shows how it's important to understand that these actions are a consequence of the way people have been programmed to think and act within their caste. The primary tenets of caste are enumerated over a number of sections to show exactly how it functions and why it's so difficult to dispense with this system once it's in place. It's extremely enlightening how the author comprehensively shows the way everyone in society is subjected to this mindset and how we can only progress out of it by making heart-to-heart connections with people outside our designated caste rather than resorting to more violence.
I've read several reader reviews which criticise this book for its liberal political bias. This is not a study standing outside of a particular time and place. Rather, Wilkerson situates her arguments and her story in where we are here and now in Trump's presidency with the COVID-19 virus running rampant throughout America. The country is in turmoil and, as usual, people at the lower end of the caste system are struggling the most. Wilkerson uses objective facts and clearly-researched social analysis to delineate why we are in this position. It's much larger than any single election or figurehead. It's about working on a personal and political level to try to dispense with the caste system we're all unknowingly trapped within.
Since we're nearing the end of the year, I always enjoy looking at the 'best books of the year' and this book has appeared on multiple lists including from Publisher's Weekly and Time Magazine. I'm glad this encouraged me to pick up Wilkerson's tremendous study because I don't read that much nonfiction and it's given me such a different perspective on an important issue.
