Article Abstract index4

Migration extends better life and hopes, but for the Dalit community, it is not a choice but an act of survival. Historically subjected to caste-based oppression and occupational segregation, Dalits migrate internally and transnationally to escape entrenched hierarchies and social exclusion. Caste always keeps them in the lower strata as it is based on the division of labour and deeply influences socio-economic hierarchies. The present paper is going to examine the intersection of caste, labour, and migration, focusing on how Dalits labour reconfigures their identities beyond their land. By analysing Dalit autobiographies and historical accounts, the study also highlights how migration facilitates new forms of identity, resistance, and self-representation. Apart from this, another emphasis on the experiences of Dalit women is depicted through working as domestic and informal labourers beyond their native regions, highlighting gendered dimensions of caste and class. It claims that while migration offers liberation, it does not entirely erase caste-based inequalities. The insights contribute to the discourse on caste and labour and illustrate how migration is not just a financial necessity but also a socio-political act of resistance and self-reconstruction, contributing to the discourse on caste and labour.
Keywords: Dalit Labour, escapism, identity, internal migration, intersectionality, modernity