Shailaja Paik Awarded $800,000 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant for Groundbreaking Research on Dalit Women’s Experiences
The esteemed $800,000 MacArthur ‘Genius’ grant has been given to Indian-American historian Shailaja Paik in recognition of her noteworthy contributions to the understanding of caste discrimination faced by Dalit women.
Paik, a professor at the University of Cincinnati, specializes in studying how caste, gender, and sexuality interact in India, especially through the lens of Dalit Tamasha performers.
Attention to the Lives of Dalit Women
The difficulties Dalit women encounter in the performing arts, particularly in the conventional Tamasha theatre, are brought to light in Paik’s most recent piece. For many Dalit women, this art form—which is frequently labelled as vulgar—serves as a means of both cultural expression and a living. These ladies still wear the designation of ashlil (vulgar), which emphasizes the ongoing stigma attached to their caste identity, despite state efforts to recast Tamasha as a noble activity.
Educational Path and Principal Discoveries of Shailaja Paik
Shailaja Paik’s academic path stems from her personal experiences growing up in a Maharashtrian Dalit family. Her development was greatly influenced by her father’s dedication to education, which motivated her to study history and work as an advocate for underrepresented groups. In the context of systematic inequality, her debut work, Dalit Women’s Education in Modern India: Double Inequality, examines the educational challenges faced by Dalit women. She challenges historical accounts of caste abolitionist Dr B.R. Ambedkar and highlights how Dalit women negotiate social ridicule while pursuing dignity in her most recent book, The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India.
Impact on International Discussion
In addition to highlighting Shailaja Paik’s accomplishments, the MacArthur grant raises awareness of the larger problems of gender inequality and caste discrimination in South Asia. With the help of this grant, she hopes to advance her studies and inform students about past injustices, adding to the worldwide conversation about gender and caste that is currently taking place. This honour underscores the importance of Paik’s work in addressing current caste and gender discrimination-related socioeconomic issues and represents a major turning point in Dalit studies.
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