A reading in history should help, here is a passage for you.
Thus, we agree with Indologist Susan Bayly when she says that untouchability as we know it is largely a product of British colonialism
Untouchability as we now know it is thus very largely a product of colonial modernity, taking shape against a background of new economic opportunities including recruitment to the mills, docks and Public Works Departments, and to the labour corps which supported both the British and sepoy regiments[20]
Instead of making Manu the villain and attributing every blame to his Smriti, perhaps all Hindus need to wake up and read all the texts that are painted as fountainhead of discrimination. Caste discrimination existed and exists even now in our society. This is an undeniable fact and we should all work towards eliminating it. Instead of attributing all the blame of discrimination on one Smriti and one community, we should ask how much of our inherent tribalism was responsible. We should also ask whether by blaming one community we are only rekindling the same tribalism and furthering Caste animosities.
Article : True Indology.
Further reading:
Susan Bayly, Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age pp.226
Please note that when you read material of this kind, you have to be circumspect. The British of the age of colonial governance are not the same as the British of today. One should not therefore harbour any grudge against the British of today for something that happened during the Raj era. as they do not know what transpired as we do not know what our great grandfathers were doing.
Looking at caste with colonial glasses makes one overlook the more obvious aspect of Tribalism. In fact, it was British who solidified tribal caste boundaries. Yes, the British initially recruited Mahars because in early decades of 19th century they were not in any position to choose. As we have seen, the British stopped Mahar recruitment by 1892 and preferred “handsome high caste men” in army. Introduction of postal services dealt a blow to traditional jobs of Mahars as “messengers”. Thus like many other low castes, Mahars had to migrate to urban centres of British India. In this environment, they became low paid labourers in their traditional professions. The recruitment to menial jobs were done on basis of caste and caste divisions were reinforced like never before
Far from the fluid, open-ended labour and tenancy relationships in rural environments of Peshwa’s Maharashtra, the Dalits became subject to caste conventions like never before in towns of British India [19]
Thus, we agree with Indologist Susan Bayly when she says that untouchability as we know it is largely a product of British colonialism
Untouchability as we now know it is thus very largely a product of colonial modernity, taking shape against a background of new economic opportunities including recruitment to the mills, docks and Public Works Departments, and to the labour corps which supported both the British and sepoy regiments[20]
Instead of making Manu the villain and attributing every blame to his Smriti, perhaps all Hindus need to wake up and read all the texts that are painted as fountainhead of discrimination. Caste discrimination existed and exists even now in our society. This is an undeniable fact and we should all work towards eliminating it. Instead of attributing all the blame of discrimination on one Smriti and one community, we should ask how much of our inherent tribalism was responsible. We should also ask whether by blaming one community we are only rekindling the same tribalism and furthering Caste animosities.
Article : True Indology.
Further reading:
Susan Bayly, Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age pp.226
Please note that when you read material of this kind, you have to be circumspect. The British of the age of colonial governance are not the same as the British of today. One should not therefore harbour any grudge against the British of today for something that happened during the Raj era. as they do not know what transpired as we do not know what our great grandfathers were doing.
