Caste
by Isabel Wilkerson, Antonio Francisco Rodríguez Esteban · first published 2020
58% recommend42% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An eye-opening look at how caste operates in American society, distinct from class and race, and its effects on social life; recommended for Americans wanting to understand the US caste system and newcomers to the topic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.” In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy
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Regarding the US, I’m currently reading the book called Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. It’s been an eye-opener to the US caste system.
on “Caste discrimination in some of Silicon Valley's richest tech companies” ↗Slightly offtopic, but the recent book "Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson explores the concept as a frame for understanding social problems, beyond just India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste:_The_Origins_of_Our_Disc...
on “Over 90% of Indian techies in the US are upper-caste Indians” ↗…perspectives, then you're part of the problem. [1] https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/10/06/34... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Brotopia-Emily-Chang-audiobook/dp/B07... [3] https://www.amazon.com/Caste-Origins-Discontents-Isabel-Wilk...
on “Ask HN: Are men systemically ecluding women in tech?” ↗Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson She is a wonderful writer and her book was an eye-opening journey through the deleterious and ubiquitous effects of caste, which is distinct from class…
on “Ask HN: What books have you read recently?” ↗Because it targets people from lower classes/castes? (On caste system in the US I recommend “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson)
on “Lawsuit against TSA and DEA over airport seizures achieves first victory” ↗Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste has a really good overview of the caste system in India and how it’s very distinct from class issues.
on “Google’s caste-bias problem” ↗Just a thought, based on a loose synthesis: I think the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson offers a lens to look at why "anarchism" is betrayed. There is something about being human that creates hierarchies. There is also something about being…
on “What Happened to David Graeber?” ↗> And the slaves love to get food and shelter for their work. We’re skirting awfully close to Godwin’s law here aren’t we? One of the deepest insights I found in Caste by Isabel Wilkerson was that most people, when put in the position, would capitalize on the opportunity to subjugate their fellow humans. I’m not saying I want to do that, I’m just saying that is reality…
on “Anarchy Works (2010)” ↗> One of the deepest insights I found in Caste by Isabel Wilkerson was that most people, when put in the position, would capitalize on the opportunity to subjugate their fellow humans. I’m not saying I want to do that, I’m just saying that is reality…
on “Anarchy Works (2010)” ↗My favorite non-fiction book of the year was Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste" but I tried to spend some time reading some high quality fiction this year and stumbled upon Kristin Hannah's "The Four Winds." This says a lot since I read some classics this year including "Anna Karenina",…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Isabelle Wilkerson’s book, Caste, really opened my eyes on this subject. Highly recommend for Americans looking to learn about our own caste system.
on “On (My) Caste” ↗I recently listened to an interview with Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents which is about America, but she spent years doing research including visiting other countries. She tells an anecdote about visiting a conference in India on caste and…
on “Caste discrimination in some of Silicon Valley's richest tech companies” ↗…religion. This article is very brief. For a more detailed accounts I recommend Dominion by Tom Holland. One of the two non-fiction books I read this year that I learned the most from (the other being Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, but that was narrower in that it helped me understand the US).
on “How Did Christianity Change the Roman Empire?” ↗> One of the deepest insights I found in Caste by Isabel Wilkerson was that most people, when put in the position, would capitalize on the opportunity to subjugate their fellow humans. that’s the crux of it though isn’t it? democrats (lowercase d)…
on “Anarchy Works (2010)” ↗Isabel Wilkerson's new book Caste compares the systematic racism of the USA, the caste system of India, and the Nazi genocide of the Jews. She attempts to describe a fundamental framework of caste (including divine mandate) that encompasses…
on “Over 90% of Indian techies in the US are upper-caste Indians” ↗