How Honour Killings Persist and Gain Legitimacy in India

Speedy Summary:

• Caste System in India: Deeply rooted social phenomenon driven by family customs and social norms, where children internalize caste boundaries early in life.
• impact of Social Justice Interventions: Empowerment through education and employment for marginalized communities (especially Dalits) leads to increased inter-caste interactions – including marriages – which challenge customary hierarchies.
• Honor killings Paradox: Higher rates of honour killings occur not where casteism is strongest, but where the caste hierarchy is under threat due to progress in empowerment, such as Tamil Nadu, kerala, Telangana, and Maharashtra. National inter-caste marriage rate remains at 5%, with higher figures in empowered states.
• Tamil Nadu Case Study: Shows stark contradictions with strong anti-caste civil society sentiment coexisting with private glorification of caste on social media platforms due to fear of losing inherited privileges. This reflects a transitional phase between tradition and cultural conversion.
• Families as Caste Enforcers: The transgenerational survival of the caste system primarily depends on family customs like rituals, prejudices, marriage arrangements rather than solely political or external reinforcements. A weakening value placed on traditional families by urban youth signals potential shifts toward dismantling these structures over time.

Indian Opinion Analysis:
The article highlights how deeply entrenched the institution of caste is within Indian society – perpetuated largely through familial practices rather than external factors alone like politics or organizations. Social justice interventions have shown measurable success in empowering marginalized groups; however, these successes are accompanied by backlash when established hierarchies are perceived as being threatened – evidenced starkly by honour killings concentrated in states displaying higher integration efforts.

Tamil Nadu exemplifies both hope and conflict within IndiaS journey against casteism – demonstrating collective resistance but also quiet persistence fueled by individual attitudes that glorify inherited power structures anonymously online. It suggests that tangible steps toward dismantling these biases require addressing this duality at structural levels alongside fostering digital counter-narratives.

The emerging urban trend among youth prioritizing autonomy over traditional familial dependencies creates opportunities for long-term erosion of ingrained practices like caste preservation via generational transmission within households. While change will undoubtedly be gradual rather than revolutionary given India’s socio-cultural diversity and complexity, steady subversion through shifting values presents an optimistic pathway forward.

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