Discrimination based on caste attributes is condemned overtly, but ‘silent’ dog-whistling – covert, coded expressions of casteist ideologies – continues to persist on digital platforms. This is largely made possible through the overwhelming dominance that ‘upper’-caste narratives and practices exert on the cultural representation of the diaspora, both online and offline. This study employs discourse analysis and visual content analysis to map the different kinds of portrayal and glorification of caste markers online and the discourse surrounding these. Content analysis focuses on recurring visual and textual elements, such as specific clothing, ritual elements or songs, that signify and elevate upper-caste practices. Discourse analysis further examines language and engagement patterns on platforms, including Reddit (e.g. r/ABCDesis) and NRI Facebook groups, where discussions on caste and identity unfold. Key contributions include demonstrating how algorithmic architectures, legacy media narratives and diasporic self-perceptions collectively normalize and rationalize caste privilege.
This article critically investigates how caste hierarchies are subtly reinforced in diasporic media through a multimodal analysis of the Netflix reality series Indian Matchmaking . While the show presents itself as a cultural portrayal of arranged marriages within the Indian diaspora, it simultaneously embeds caste-based ideologies within its language, visuals and narrative framing, often under the guise of tradition, compatibility and family values. Using the framework of Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA), supported by theories from Gramsci, Said, Spivak, Foucault and Hall, the study dissects both the spoken discourse and visual cues of the show. It analyses how euphemistic language, phrases such as ‘good family’ or ‘similar backgrounds’, serve to naturalize caste endogamy and how visual aesthetics, lavish settings, traditional clothing and affluent lifestyles subtly mark caste privilege as a cultural aspiration. Through these layered strategies, the show creates a seamless ideological narrative that aestheticizes caste while erasing marginalized voices. The findings suggest that Indian Matchmaking does not simply reflect cultural customs; it performs ideological work by presenting caste discrimination as culturally legitimate and socially desirable. The exclusion of lower-caste or Dalit representation, combined with the platform’s global reach, demonstrates how streaming services like Netflix contribute to the mainstreaming of caste-based exclusions under the banner of cultural authenticity. Ultimately, this study calls for greater scrutiny of how global media representations reproduce social hierarchies and marginalize dissenting voices and argues for more inclusive, reflexive storytelling that resists, rather than reinforces, caste privilege.
Review of: Caste: A Global Story , Suraj Milind Yengde (2025) New Delhi: Penguin Allen Lane, 384 pp., ISBN 978-0-67009-631-2, h/bk, INR 899.00
This study examines Kabali (2016) using critical discourse analysis (CDA) to explore how the film represents caste-based resistance and identity formation in a diasporic context. The study analyses the film’s linguistic and visual aspects, focusing on correlations, name associations, nominalization, lexical choices, agency, presuppositions, dialogue, body language, clothing and cultural symbols that signify ideologies. These strategies are examined to exhibit how they shape caste-based power dynamics. The titular character’s power reclamation and name signify resistance against caste discrimination across borders. The study analyses critical scenes, such as monologues and lyrics from songs, to determine how these elements contribute to the narrative. Data collection involves systematically analysing dialogue in the subtitle by focusing on metaphors, nominalization, presuppositions and visual analysis of the settings to reveal how caste hierarchies are depicted across various modes. These elements are coded using RStudio according to the corresponding occurrences in the subtitle.
This Special Issue examines how casteism is contested within diasporic contexts through practices of agency, public articulation and collective action. It focuses on how caste-based discrimination is articulated and challenged within institutional, cultural and mediated spaces. In these settings, recognition remains limited or contested, positioning such acts of articulation and response as inherently political. It argues that migration produces conditions in which claims to dignity and equality must be actively asserted, especially where casteism is reframed as culture or rendered invisible within dominant legal and social frameworks. The issue situates caste as a global structure operating through social relations, symbolic authority and institutional practices while examining its discriminatory effects within diasporic settings. It emphasizes the role of Ambedkarite thought as a critical resource guiding strategies of resistance, collective organization and rights-based claims. The contributions demonstrate that anti-caste politics in diaspora is sustained through public articulation, institutional intervention and collective mobilization, positioning refusal and organized action as key to confronting caste-based discrimination in transnational settings.
