Caste Away Arts

Not only do Caste Away Arts do theatre which is total eye candy but we have our own range of hair care product for splitting hairs yes ladies, gents and in the betweenies its called Reena B’s MA! Dur dur doh!
Before I even got involved in Caste Away Arts I was a scruffy student with very bad split ends. I went to the University of Birmingham and did a MA in Social Research and cultural studies programme. I wanted desperately to do research. I am a very curious person and I though hey might as well do the taught programme and learn a few long words on the way. Here is an edited extract of my research. Enjoy the intellectual read and trust me it mends those nasty straw split ends. Mine have all gone 100% trust me with a monopoly money back guarantee.
 

Splitting Hairs

Intro – The problem
The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. 
The main findings
The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the persistence of the Caste system in the UK. It was also a vehicle to voice the experiences of those who suffered Caste discrimination, and lastly hopefully to gain the acknowledgement of the reader that Casteism is a form of discrimination that needs to be challenged and addressed. 
This research was conducted by interviewing 4 respondents who stepped forward to share their experiences of Casteism. The interviews provided evidence to highlight the persistence of this phenomenon and it indicates the seriousness of the discrimination experienced. These experiences range from name-calling, a breakdown in relationships, being virtually ignored, and to exclusion in the work place. All of these experiences are far too important to ignore.
The main significant findings in this study are that Casteism does indeed exist in the UK and that it is imbedded into institutions of education, work and social and private life. This research also clearly indicates that the problem of Caste is not a simple phenomenon to grasp.
The extended family is an essential part of the culture of the South Asian community so that even where family members live in different parts of the UK, there is frequent contact and the influence of the family extends beyond the immediate geographical area of the home.  Therefore, in spite of the relatively small scale of this study, it would appear reasonable to suppose that the experiences of these respondents do represent those of other members of the South Asian community throughout the British Isles
One of the initial aims of my research was to highlight the fact that Caste discrimination exits in the UK and that it is a serious issue that can affect one’s life. The interviews demonstrate that Caste discrimination has had a negative impact on interviewees’ lives.
 

The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the persistence of the Caste system in the UK. It was also a vehicle to voice the experiences of those who suffered Caste discrimination, and lastly hopefully to gain the acknowledgement of the reader that Casteism is a form of discrimination that needs to be challenged and addressed. This research was conducted by interviewing 4 respondents who stepped forward to share their experiences of Casteism. The interviews provided evidence to highlight the persistence of this phenomenon and it indicates the seriousness of the discrimination experienced. These experiences range from name-calling, a breakdown in relationships, being virtually ignored, and to exclusion in the work place. All of these experiences are far too important to ignore.The main significant findings in this study are that Casteism does indeed exist in the UK and that it is imbedded into institutions of education, work and social and private life. This research also clearly indicates that the problem of Caste is not a simple phenomenon to grasp.The extended family is an essential part of the culture of the South Asian community so that even where family members live in different parts of the UK, there is frequent contact and the influence of the family extends beyond the immediate geographical area of the home.  Therefore, in spite of the relatively small scale of this study, it would appear reasonable to suppose that the experiences of these respondents do represent those of other members of the South Asian community throughout the British IslesOne of the initial aims of my research was to highlight the fact that Caste discrimination exits in the UK and that it is a serious issue that can affect one’s life. The interviews demonstrate that Caste discrimination has had a negative impact on interviewees’ lives.What Action needs to be taken?
Casteism is persistent amongst young British-born South Asian people. The experiences of Caste discrimination are far too serious to ignore and will continue to grow. This research acts as a proposal in an attempt to amend the Race Relations Act to acknowledge Casteism as a form of racism. This form of discrimination, like any other, needs to be acted upon and challenged in order to prevent experiences like those encountered by the respondents. The first step towards this is to change legislation by enacting laws that prevent Casteism and recognise this as a punishable offence.  Caste is like splitting hairs and this is the name of my thesis and I use this analogy because it is just that. We divide our selves from our selves. If the world hasn’t got enough bloody trouble we split hairs and it looks like a frigging mess. Sort it out and get some treatment and long term conditioner repair. WHERE?
 

THE FIFTH CUP! – for your splitting hair
  

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