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Racism in India- Evolution, Types, Impacts | Notes for the UPSC Exam

Last Updated on Apr 11, 2023
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Racism is a form of prejudice or discrimination which states that one race is superior to the other on the basis of attributes like caste, physical build-up, ethnicity etc. It is prevalent in different parts of the world including India where it has traditionally been practiced since a long time ago. As a result, one of the essentials of human existence i.e. right to dignity has suffered erosion over the years, leading to violation of individual rights and negative impacts on the society as a whole.

Topics related to important social issues form an important part of the UPSC Civil services exam under the syllabus of the General Studies- 1 (GS – 1) paper. Questions related to social issues are frequently asked in the UPSC CSE Preliminary exam as well as the GS- 1 paper. This article on Racism in India will help you to prepare for the Prelims and the Mains paper of the UPSC IAS/IPS exam.

This article on Testbook will discuss in a detailed way the background of the Racism in India, its causes, impact, types and constitutional provisions for protection against racism which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation. The UPSC aspirants can also take the help of Testbook’s UPSC Online Coaching to boost their UPSC Exam preparation! You can also study other major topics related to UPSC IAS Exams with Testbook!

Download the PDF on Racism is India notes for UPSC Exam here.

Racism in India

India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. As a result, the number of races found here are many. We are thus expected to live with principles like harmony which is the desired principle established by our forefathers. However, racism is a cruel and constant reality in India being practiced since ancient times.

Evolution of Racism in India

Racism as a concept is not new to India. Since ancient times, people have been discriminated against in public life for their appearance and backgrounds.

  • The Indian caste system since Vedic age which stratifies the population into 4 parts: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras is an example of the same.
  • Brahmins were considered to be at the top of hierarchy, followed by the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas.
  • Shudras were called untouchables due to their dark skin color and background.
  • Two other classifications were common: Aryans and Dasyus. Aryans belonged to the upper society as they were fair in color while the Dasyus were relatively black and treated miserably.
  • The racism didn’t reduce albeit increased in the colonial era where the rulers were now extremely fair skinned and thus considered themselves as the most superior and influential.
  • Dark colored Indians were condemned and were made a subject to exploitation and harassment by the British rulers.
  • Post-independence, racism is still a common feature practiced by different strata of the society against one another.

Read about The Difference Between Caste and Class here.

Difference between Race and Ethnicity

Race stands for the classification of humans into relatively distinct groups based on appearance through different characteristics that are often influenced by culture, ethnicity and socio-economic status. The term is applied to a physically distinctive group of people on the basis of differences from other groups in features like skin color, head shape, hair type and physique. Race is thus a biological notion relating to a person’s physical and genetic features.

Ethnicity refers to the difference in cultural factors instead whereby identification of different ethnic groups are done on the basis of customs, history, language, and religion. It is a broader term than race and race could be a sub-part of ethnicity.

For eg. someone may say that their race is “brown” while their ethnicity may be Irish or Italian.

Category Race Ethnicity
Line of Descent Defined in terms of shared genealogies which are a result of geographical isolation. Defined in terms of shared genealogies which are either actual or presumed.
Distinguishing factors Determined by skin color, facial structure etc. Determined by shared culture in a given geographical region.
Examples Mongoloids, Proto-Australoids etc Arabs, North Africans etc

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Types of Racism

Racism is not a linear concept but a complex one which accepts many forms. These types of inequalities percolate at larger levels than between individuals. By doing so racism reaches beyond one simple ideology, affecting society in harmful ways. Following are the basic types into which racism is subdivided into:

Individual or Internalized Racism

  • This type of racism is the biased response that occurs when individuals interact with others who are considered racially different from themselves.
  • This is a type of racism that exists within individuals.
  • It is a set of privately held beliefs, prejudices and ideas about the superiority of a particular race over another.

Interpersonal Racism

  • This is a type of racism that occurs between individuals.
  • It is the holding of negative attitudes towards a different race or a culture.
  • The common behaviors in this form of racism include bullying, verbal harassment, and negative personal thoughts around race.
  • This racism follows a victim/perpetrator model.

Institutional Racism

  • This form of racism refers to institutional and cultural practices that perpetuate racial inequality.
  • Here, due to the oppression of the suppressed, the fruits go to the powerful groups at the expense of others.
  • Examples of this form of racism include discriminatory treatment, unfair policies and practices.

Structural Racism

  • It refers to the methods through which the joint operation of institutions produce racialized outcomes, even with the absence of racist intent.
  • Here, there is a system in place in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations and other norms work in various ways to perpetuate racial group inequality.
  • Power inequalities, unequal access to opportunities etc are some of the indicators of this form of racism.
  • This type of racism is pervasive, cumulative, and durable.
  • History, ideology, culture, and interactions of institutions and policies in place strengthen this racism.

Read about the Indian Education System here.

Impacts of Racism on Society

Racism is a discriminatory social feature that affects the society in many forms and thus, deprives it to achieve mutual well being and growth for all. This practice is considered to be immoral and unethical:

  • Racism goes against the idea of universal brotherhood and equal treatment of everyone in the society.
  • It is against human dignity as well where a person is denied self-respect rights and remains deprived to explore the fuller potential of life.
  • It also instigates people to hate and sometimes start violence against the other groups.
  • It leads to parochial thinking and behavior and reinforces many forms of prejudices against the other groups.
  • It also spoils the social atmosphere and ultimately results in sub-optimal utilization of human assets in society.

This imaginary divide of society, fuelled by racism is harmful to society as it undermines social cohesion. Racism not only fuels the imaginary divide but also continues the group hierarchy. This practice has multifold impacts on the function of the society.

Political Impacts of Racism

  • Basic political rights like life, liberty and property which are supposed to be natural rights are denied.
  • Right to livelihood is denied and stratification hurts the entire civil structure in place as a whole.
  • Racism creates a system of institutional inequality denying the oppressed sections equality of opportunity in political matters.
  • The sum total of all these events leads to undermining of the right to live with dignity.
  • Economic Impacts of Racism

    • This is a result of unequal political rights as it leads to denial of basic economic opportunities and loss of voice.
    • Features like poverty, unemployment etc are partially a result of such reasons.
    • Racism hurts the growth prospects of human beings which in turn hurts the economic prospects of human beings at large in the financial field.
    • With this stratification, people are forced to take informal jobs and remain forever beyond the reach of the formal economy.

    Social Impacts of Racism

    • Racism leads to the criminalization of the society which hurts the social unity and further increases the hate towards the oppressed communities.
    • This entraps those oppressed communities into the never-ending cycle of stigmatization.
    • This has led to hate towards the oppressed and has led to instances of mob lynching, public violence against those people etc.
    • Features like caste stratification, untouchability etc are a result of racism.

    Read about the Varna system here.

Reasons Why Racism is still a Phenomena

Despite having a backing of legal ban in the country, racism is still practiced amongst various strata of the society. In the 21st century when this phenomena is supposed to be a story of the past, this is widely practiced and leads to oppression and discrimination of the subdued.

  • Racism in India traces its roots to colonial legacy and ancient practice going on since olden times.
  • It is sustained through a very powerful nexus of politics, society, economy and culture.
  • Further stereotyping of the communities into incompetent, lazy and outcastes lead to such practices.
  • The methods of denying jobs, promotions, and other economic benefits on the basis of racial discrimination builds on the powerful lobbying of the oppressing class.
  • The advertising and entertainment industry also somewhat play a role in building and maintaining this phenomena.
  • Social stratification is quite strong in the society due to the age old practices.

Read about the role of women’s organizations here.

Constitutional Provisions to tackle Racism in India

Constitution makers established Indian society on the lines of mutual respect and equality. The denial of such principles in the name of racism is violative of the basic structure of the constitution and the aggrieved party could even approach courts for protection of their rights. Following are some of the constitutional provisions which seek to ensure equal protection and negate racism in India:

  • Article 14: It states that no person could be deprived of equality within the territory of India.
  • Article 15(1): It seeks to ensure that there is no discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
  • Article 15(3): It goes on to make special provisions for oppressed children and women.
  • Article 16: It ensures equal opportunities of employment to both the men and women.
  • Article 17: It abolishes the practice of untouchability in India and undermines racism.
  • Article 21: It protects the right to life and personal liberty of persons.
  • Article 46: It protects the weaker sections of the people, in particular the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes of the country and provides provisions with special care to meet their economic and educational interests.
  • Article 51(a)(e): It is a part of fundamental duty which seeks to ensure the feeling of harmony and brotherhood among all the citizens of India and further abandon the practices considered to be derogatory to women.
  • Article 243: It seeks to reserve 1/3rd seats for oppressed sections like women, scheduled tribes and scheduled castes in panchayat and municipalities so as to give those marginalized sections a voice.

Apart from the constitution, there are statutes which seek to remove the ills of racism in the society:

  • The Caste Disabilities Removal Act, 1850: This was passed in British India under the East India Company rule which was supposed to maintain rights of people who sought to convert to other religions.
  • Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955: It was introduced to ban any form of untouchability in the nation and aimed at providing equal rights to every citizen under the umbrella of the constitution.
  • SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989: It was enacted to protect the marginalized communities against discrimination and atrocities. The Act mentions offenses relating to various patterns or behaviors that may be derogatory to the self-respect and esteem of the scheduled castes and tribes community, covering multiple dimensions like economic, democratic, legal and social rights etc.
  • Indian Penal Code: National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) submitted a report to the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws of the Ministry of Home Affairs which sought to insert newer provisions in the IPC i.e. Section 52B, 153C and Sections 509A so as to define, criminalize and penalize racial offenses in India.

Read about the Maternal Mortality Rate here.

Way Forward

With the rampant inequality in the country along with prevailing racist stratifications and behavior amongst the sections of the society, it is pertinent that efforts be made on individual as well as community and administrative level to cure this problem of racism.

  • There is a need for stricter implementations of the laws and safeguards given to the oppressed communities.
  • Strict legal prohibitions on racist behavior is required. The suggestion of the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) made to Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws of the Ministry of Home Affairs for IPC reforms be undertaken.
  • Adequate judicial reforms are a must as courts are plagued by legal delays, high legal fees etc and stay beyond the reach of the oppressed population.
  • Increase in affirmative action policies and programs to the racially disadvantaged sections of the society be done to give them a voice.
  • The economic development of the oppressed sections through various initiatives is done so that the stereotypes are destroyed about them.
  • Since racism is a social concept, there is a need for social movement and reforms to educate the society about the ills of racism.
  • Increased interactions and reduced barriers should pave a way for an inclusive future.
  • UNESCO’s actions against racism through education, the sciences, culture, and communication offer an example of a way forward wherein it promotes the role of education in providing space to understand processes that enhance racism, to learn from the past, and to stand up for human rights.

Read about the Devadasi system here.

Concluding Remarks

It is a surprise that even in the 21st century when there are a lot of educational resources in society, the places are still witnessing the ills of racism.The work to end racism requires a lot of will in multiple aspects like political, societal and economic direction. The protection of human dignity is ensured by the constitutional provisions of India and working towards ending the menace of racism in India is pertinent to ensure welfare of the country.

Read about the Family Planning Program in India here.

We hope all your doubts related to Racism in India are addressed after going through this article. Testbook also provides comprehensive notes for Civil services and various other competitive examinations. like content pages, live tests, GK and current affairs mocks, and so on. Ace your UPSC preparation with Testbook. Download the Testbook App now!

UPSC Previous Year Questions

1.Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence the caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment. (UPSC CSE Mains 2018 GS 1)

2.The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate. (UPSC CSE Mains 2017 GS 1)

3.Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance in building a national identity. (UPSC CSE Mains 2015 GS 1)

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Racism in India FAQs

Racism is a belief where a person or a community believes that their race is superior to others leading to discriminatory treatment.

Racism leads to negative effects for the individual and the society at large. This leads to lack of developmental opportunities and impacts socio-economic as well as political growth of the community.

Racism could broadly be classified into four types: Internalized Racism, Interpersonal Racism, Institutional Racism, Structural Racism.

Xenophobia and Racism are sometimes used interchangeably, but the difference between them is racism is discrimination based on physical characteristics whereas xenophobia is discrimination merely based on the perception that someone is foreign or originating from another community.

Constitutional provisions against racism include fundamental right to life, equality, the directive principles of state policy and Article 243 amendments introduced by the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment to the Indian Constitution.

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