BEYOND CASTE: COMPARATIVE SYSTEMS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND EXCLUSION WORLDWIDE

Abstract

Caste is often understood as a uniquely South Asian phenomenon; however, systems of hereditary, descent-based discrimination exist across multiple regions of the world. Communities identified as Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD)— including Dalits in South Asia, Roma in Europe, Burakumin in Japan, Haratine and Osu in Africa, and Quilombola and Palenque communities in Latin America—experience persistent social exclusion, economic marginalization, and political invisibility. Despite differing cultural and historical contexts, these groups share strikingly similar patterns of stigma, occupational segregation, restricted mobility, and limited access to education, justice, and public resources. This paper adopts a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to examine caste and analogous systems globally, situating them within broader frameworks of social stratification, racial capitalism, and structural inequality. Drawing on secondary data, international human rights reports, and comparative case studies, the study analyses how descent-based discrimination is reproduced through law, labor markets, social norms, and state practices. It further evaluates the effectiveness of constitutional safeguards, affirmative action policies, and international advocacy mechanisms in addressing these entrenched hierarchies. The paper argues that global caste-like systems remain under-theorized and inadequately addressed within mainstream human rights and development discourse. By conceptualizing caste as a global structure rather than a regional anomaly, the study highlights the need for transnational policy frameworks, inclusive governance strategies, and intersectional approaches that link caste, race, gender, and class. The findings contribute to global debates on equality, social justice, and sustainable development by foregrounding descent-based discrimination as a critical but neglected dimension of global inequality.