October 2021 Newsletter
Book Review - Caste
by Rev. Ryan Pusch
In the present cultural context of America, it’s hard to think of anything more difficult to write about than the phenomenon of race and racism, much less write well, much less write with an entirely new framework of language. Incredibly, Isabel Wilkerson somehow does all these things in her book “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents”, which was published in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by Derek Chauvin and the avalanche of protests and demonstrations that proliferated around the country in response to his death and other brazen acts of injustice inflicted upon Black and Brown people that year. The central concept of Wilkerson’s book is to ask us to rethink our understanding of race using the framework and language of caste. She writes:
"A caste system is an artificial construction, a fixed and embedded ranking of human value that sets the presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups on the basis of ancestry and often immutable traits, traits that would be neutral in the abstract but are ascribed life-and-death meaning in a hierarchy favoring the dominant caste who forebears designed it. A caste system uses rigid, often arbitrary boundaries to keep the ranked groupings apart, distinct form one another and in their assigned places." (17)
Don’t be intimidated if this excerpt sounds abstract and theoretical. What makes this book truly engaging and moving is Wilkerson’s combination of analysis and theory right alongside concrete research and stories about people that have been alternatively beaten down or lifted up, kept in line, or utterly destroyed by the caste system we live in. And in order to put our American caste system in perspective with the rest of the world, she uses two other cultural frameworks with which to compare ours: the caste system of India, and the caste system of Nazi Germany.
This book doesn’t pull any punches in regards to speaking the truth about racism and racial violence. Caste language is not a way to soften or legitimize the way that racism functions in our world. On the contrary, it asks us to look more closely at the hidden goals of race and racism, and how they play out in countless, harmful ways for members of the subordinate, as well as the dominant caste.
"Caste and race are neither synonymous nor mutually exclusive. They can and do coexist in the same culture and serve to reinforce each other. Race, in the United States, is the visible agent of the unseen force of caste. Caste is the bones, race the skin. Race is what we can see, the physical traits that have been given arbitrary meaning and become shorthand for who a person is. Caste is the powerful infrastructure that holds each group in its place." (19)
Wilkerson’s book takes us on a deep dive into the various overlapping structures that reinforce caste systems, with an abundance of examples, each more horrifying than the last. She also lifts up the work of countless other researchers, scholars, and justice seekers who have dedicated their lives to understanding the caste system and its ramifications, before turning to more recent history and what she calls the “resurgence of caste” in our political and social life. In no uncertain terms, she finishes the book with a call to expose and dismantle all caste systems, as our entire world hangs in the balance of whether we can overcome these ancient systems or whether we will ultimately be divided and destroyed by them.
Save the Date - MLK observance
The Authentic Diversity and Justice team is planning events for MLK weekend 2022 around the theme "Our Dream". Dr. King had a dream; what are our dreams for ourselves and our communities as we continue this work?
Events will include a worship service on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 4pm at Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church, as well as resources for engagement in service activities on Monday, January 17. We are delighted to announce that Rev. Lamont Wells will be our preacher. He is program director for LuMin/Campus Ministry in the ELCA and president of the African Descent Lutheran Association.
ELCA issues declaration to American Indian and Alaska Native people
During this month that we honor and celebrate the Indigenous people who first settled on the land thousands of years ago, the ELCA has released "A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People." The declaration is a direct result of the social policy resolution "Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery," which was passed by the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
In the declaration, the ELCA acknowledges the theological and Christian foundation of the Doctrine of Discovery, which has codified colonialism and religious intolerance as societal norms for more than 500 years. Read more of the press release here.