Abstract
Caste is a medium of discrimination as it creates a disconnection between Dalit childhood and the natural world. Environmental dispossession profoundly shapes Dalit childhood through interactions with nature; however, Dalit ecology has overlooked childhood from an eco-casteism perspective. Dalit children are vulnerable to caste-imposed environmental exclusion and are restricted to natural livability. This study aims to analyse eco-casteism through the lens of Dalit childhood in two Dalit autobiographies: Om Prakash Valmiki’s Joothan: A Dalit Life and Manoranjan Byapari’s Interrogating My Chandal Life: An Autobiography of a Dalit. Furthermore, this study scrutinises the conventional dimensions of childhood by addressing the painful experiences of childhood bound to caste labour and socio-economic deprivation; deconstructing the view of childhood innocence and joyfulness associated with nature; examining eco-casteism that restricts access to nature and environmental resources; and challenging the romanticised perception of nature connected with childhood. This study contributes to the understanding of the complexities of Dalit childhood, nature, and environmental discourse in India, emphasising the need for social justice and resistance against Dalit discrimination in environmentalism.
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S, T., Jennifer, J.M. Deconstructing environmental discourse in Valmiki’s Joothan and Byapari’s Interrogating My Chandal Life: eco-casteism in Dalit childhood.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07395-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07395-6
Source: Ecology - nature.com
