SHRIYAN & KUMAR, "For a Breath of Dignity: The 'Unfreedom' of India's Caste-Driven Labour Migration"SHRIYAN & KUMAR, "For a Breath of Dignity: The 'Unfreedom' of India's Caste-Driven Labour Migration"

Why do the authors open with Ambedkar’s quote “nine decades later”?

To show that caste remains a powerful and unavoidable force in India long after Ambedkar wrote Annihilation of Caste

Who was B. R. Ambedkar and why is he important here?

Ambedkar was a Dalit intellectual and anti-caste reformer whose critique shows the historical persistence of caste oppression

What central argument do Shriyan and Kumar make in this essay?

That caste continues to shape labour migration and “unfreedom” in India’s modern capitalist economy

Where is Sunil Ram from and why is this significant?

He is from Araria in Bihar, one of India’s poorest districts, illustrating regional poverty and caste marginalization;

What environmental condition affects Araria annually?

Seasonal flooding during the monsoon destroys homes and livelihoods

How do Dalit residents rebuild their homes after floods?

They reconstruct fragile bamboo and mud huts every year

What kind of worker is Sunil Ram?

He is an unlettered

What does Sunil Ram’s migration pattern look like?

He works locally for two months

What term do the authors use instead of “labour migration” and why?

They use “labour circulation” to emphasize repeated

How many labourers circulate seasonally in India each year?

Approximately 100 million workers

What social groups dominate seasonal migrant labour?

Dalits and Adivasis

What percentage of India’s population are Dalits and Adivasis combined?

Roughly 34% (25% Dalits and 9% Adivasis)

What percentage of seasonal migrants are Dalits and Adivasis?

Over 40%

How does temporary migration compare to permanent migration in India?

Temporary migration is seven times greater overall and up to sixteen times greater for Dalits and Adivasis

What kinds of jobs are Dalit and Adivasi migrants most likely to do?

The most hazardous

What example do the authors give from brick kilns?

Nearly half of migrant brick kiln workers are Dalits and over 16% are Adivasis

How does caste discrimination affect job mobility?

Dalits and Adivasis are excluded from skilled or better-paid work even after decades of experience

What does evidence from Western India show?

That caste blocks upward mobility regardless of labour shortages or experience

How does caste operate in Tamil Nadu’s garment industry?

Dalits are concentrated in dirty dyeing units while non-Dalits dominate skilled tailoring jobs

What quote reflects the extreme exploitation faced by workers in Gujarat?

Workers say “even dogs are better off” than them

Why do some Dalit workers still say conditions have improved?

They compare current conditions to historical bondage under upper-caste landlords

How did Dalit labourers describe past conditions under zamindars?

They were unpaid

What form of payment did Dalits historically receive instead of wages?

Food such as rice rather than cash

Why does Sunil Ram see contractors as preferable to landlords?

Contractors offer loans and work outside the village

Why do the authors say unfreedom still exists?

Because powerlessness and caste hierarchy continue within the informal economy

What does “unfreedom” mean in this context?

Structural constraints that limit choice despite the appearance of mobility and freedom

How does caste continue beyond the village?

It follows workers into urban and industrial labour markets

What percentage of India’s workforce is formal?

Only about 8% (possibly as low as 4%)

What is informalisation?

The expansion of insecure

How is informal labour linked to neoliberalism?

Neoliberal growth depends on flexible

Why is caste compatible with neoliberal capitalism?

Because inherited inequality helps sustain low wages and labour discipline

What conditions define informal work?

Low wages

How does history legitimize inequality today?

Past caste privilege limits Dalits’ access to land

What percentage of Dalits work informally?

Around 84%

How does this compare to dominant castes?

Only about 54% of dominant caste workers are informal

What are the average daily wages for Dalit informal workers?

Rs 269 per day

How does this compare to upper-caste workers?

Upper-caste workers earn around Rs 357 per day

What does “labour dispensability” mean?

Workers are treated as easily replaceable and expendable

How is labour dispensability tied to globalization?

Global capital relies on a surplus of vulnerable workers

What is meant by a “sedentary conception of citizenship”?

Citizenship rights assume people stay in one place

Which rights are undermined when workers migrate?

Voting

Why do migrants lose access to citizenship rights?

Because state welfare systems are tied to home locations

How do the state and capital work together?

They exploit inherited vulnerability while dividing workers through caste

How does caste divide labourers themselves?

By preventing solidarity across caste lines

Why doesn’t inequality “correct itself” over time?

Because caste reproduces disadvantage across generations

What is meant by “intergenerational vulnerability”?

Poverty and powerlessness passed down through family lines

Why do Dalits value mobility despite harsh conditions?

Mobility offers dignity compared to village-based humiliation

What humiliation do Dalits associate with immobility?

Dependence on dominant caste landlords for survival

How many hours do migrant labourers often work daily?

Between 10 and 14 hours

Why is dignity central to the authors’ argument?

Because migration is about escaping caste domination

Why should caste not be described passively?

Because it hides who enforces caste hierarchy and power

Why should we avoid saying “Indians believe caste…”

India is socially diverse and caste is contested and resisted

What mistake do the authors warn against in cultural explanations?

Treating caste as timeless or universally accepted

Who is actively challenging caste in India?

Millions of Indians through social movements and political struggle

How does this reading link caste and class?

Caste shapes class position and labour outcomes

How does this reading prepare for migration studies?

It shows migration as structured by inequality rather than choice

What does “aspirational arrival” mean and why don’t Dalits experience it?

It means permanent urban settlement

What does the essay reveal about freedom under capitalism?

That freedom is uneven and structured by caste

Why is this essay described as “packing a punch”?

It exposes how old hierarchies persist within modern economies

What is the core takeaway of the essay?

Caste remains central to labour