Apartheid and India

I saw a friend using the term ‘apartheid’ to describe the prevailing caste-based reservation system in India. I wondered if this term is applicable in Indian case and tried to read more into the term.

I found the word meaning of Apartheid: (Ref: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/apartheid)

a·part·heid (-pärtht, -ht)
n.
1. An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites.
2. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.
3. The condition of being separated from others; segregation.

To know more, I got to read what the term ‘apartheid’ stands in relation to politics and government: (Ref: http://www.answers.com/topic/apartheid)

apartheid
n
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in South Africa) the official government policy of racial segregation; officially renounced in 1992

apartheid

Policy of racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in South Africa. The term was first used as the name of the official policy of the National Party in 1948, though racial segregation, sanctioned by law, was already widely practiced. The Group Areas Act of 1950 established residential and business sectors in urban areas for each “race” and strengthened the existing “pass” laws, which required nonwhites to carry identification papers. Other laws forbade most social contacts between those of European descent and others, authorized segregated public facilities, established separate educational standards, restricted each group to certain types of jobs, curtailed nonwhite labour unions, denied nonwhite participation in the national government, and established various black African “homelands,” partly self-governing units that were nevertheless politically and economically dependent on South Africa. These so-called homelands were not recognized by international governments. Apartheid was always subject to internal criticism and led to many violent protests, strikes, and acts of sabotage; it also received international censure. In 1990 – 91 most apartheid legislation was repealed, but segregation continued on a de facto basis. In 1993 a new constitution enfranchised blacks and other racial groups, and all-race national elections in 1994 produced a coalition government with a black majority. These developments marked the end of legislated apartheid, though not of its entrenched social and economic effects.

So the question is: Does India practice apartheid? Does the government’s policy of caste based reservation qualifies itself to be called ‘apartheid’?

I think it depends on how we define the term. If we define it in social sense, like “the condition of being separated from others; segregation”, then the term becomes too vague. Even if we define it in terms of general policy / social use, then all nations have been practicing apartheid (if called so) in some form or the other; and in all ages. Even the Muslim rulers in India discriminated against Hindus and hence it was apartheid. Even the British treated native people differently and hence it was apartheid (though the British racial discrimination against brown/black Indians had elements of true apartheid by definition). Even the Christians when they claim “only Jesus is true god” do apartheid because they divide this world into believers and non-believers. Then we can stretch it to the things like saying governments do apartheid when they come out with “below poverty line” segmentation. Or, even by creating states within India, govt does apartheid. I think such stretch is illogical. So we have to define apartheid only in terms of its political meaning.

And when it comes to political meaning, apartheid is what the White Govt in South Africa practiced against Black natives!

I think we should not “loosely” apply this term against Government of India. GOI does caste and religion related discrimination in the form of reservations in jobs and studies, but it is not exactly “apartheid”. On the other side of thinking, even the discriminatory caste-system followed by Indians or discrimination against so called dalits is not apartheid. We Indians should be careful in application of this term.

- Rahul