Caste

by

Isabel Wilkerson

Casteism is the practice of discriminating against a person based on their caste, or their perceived category in society.

Casteism Quotes in Caste

The Caste quotes below are all either spoken by Casteism or refer to Casteism. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 23 Quotes

People who appear in places or positions where they are not expected can become foot soldiers in an ongoing quest for respect and legitimacy in a fight they had hoped was long over.

Related Characters: Isabel Wilkerson (speaker)
Page Number: 293
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Caste LitChart as a printable PDF.
Caste PDF

Casteism Term Timeline in Caste

The timeline below shows where the term Casteism appears in Caste. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
...entity” that enforces structures, rankings, and boundaries on the basis of someone’s perceived rank. Though casteism and racism are intertwined in the U.S., they can be differentiated. Racism, Wilkerson suggests, is... (full context)
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
...a factor in so many social interactions that one might not even perceive their own casteism. Post-racialism is still a faraway dream precisely because of caste’s invisibility—and in order to end... (full context)
Pillar Number Four: Purity versus Pollution
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
Caste as a Global Problem  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
...as a magazine editor. Even in adulthood, having dedicated himself to unlearning his racist and casteist upbringing, he felt the self-described “madness” of an inexplicable urge to wash his hands after... (full context)
Chapter Twelve: A Scapegoat to Bear the Sins of the World
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
Caste as a Global Problem  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
...day, Black Americans are scapegoated for the problems that disproportionately plague Black communities because of casteism and inequality. Scapegoating blames larger societal ills on those with the least power—and scapegoating always... (full context)
The Radicalization of the Dominant Caste
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
The Costs of Caste Theme Icon
...to get away with making such a scene—and with being so blind to the way casteism works in the first place. But another part of Wilkerson was happy to see her... (full context)
Epilogue: A World Without Caste
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
Caste as a Global Problem  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
...for another. Throughout his life in the U.S., he was outspoken about the horrors of casteism. As a Jewish person himself, he felt he could empathize with the plight of Black... (full context)
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.  Theme Icon
How Caste Sustains Itself Theme Icon
The Costs of Caste Theme Icon
...likely to remain with the dominant caste unless there is a concerted effort to overturn casteism, reject the price Americans currently pay for their caste system, and fight for justice. (full context)