THE POLITICS OF THE PLATE: CASTE AND CONSUMPTION IN JOOTHAN

Abstract [English]

Omprakash Valmiki’s autobiography, Joothan: A Dalit’s Life, stands as a seminal work in
Dalit literature, offering an unflinching testimony to the brutalities of caste oppression in
post-independence India. This paper argues that in Joothan, the consumption of ritually
polluted, leftover food—the eponymous joothan—is not merely an indicator of poverty but a
central and systemic mechanism of caste-based violence, humiliation, and the
dehumanization of Dalits. The narrative meticulously demonstrates how food and
commensality operate as a primary site for the performance of upper-caste power and the
enforcement of a rigid social hierarchy. Drawing upon an analytical framework that combines
the sociology of food, caste studies, and theories of purity and pollution, this paper examines
the material and symbolic weight of joothan. It first establishes the theoretical underpinnings
of food-based caste rules before analyzing how the forced consumption of waste functions as
a tool of subjugation, inflicting deep psychological trauma. Conversely, the paper explores
how acts of refusal—rejecting the polluted scraps—and the autonomous preparation of food
become pivotal moments of resistance and the reclamation of Dalit dignity. By tracing this
politics of the plate, the paper highlights Joothan's profound contribution to understanding
the visceral, everyday experience of structural violence and the complex process of forging a
resistant Dalit identity in the face of systemic degradation. The analysis concludes by
connecting Valmiki's narrative to the persistence of food-based discrimination in
contemporary India, affirming the text's enduring relevance.