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“It’s just a name tag”: The Persistence of Caste Through Caste-Blind Discourses in U.S. STEM Education

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Conference

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Publication Date

June 22, 2025

Start Date

June 22, 2025

End Date

August 15, 2025

Conference Session

Interrogating Race, Caste, and Power (Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division ECSJ Technical Session 4)

Tagged Divisions

Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

14

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/55319

Paper Authors

biography

Nivedita Kumar Florida International University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0009-0000-8354-9776

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Nivedita (Nivi) Kumar is a doctoral candidate in engineering and computing education at Florida International University (FIU), with a research focus on caste-based inequities in engineering and computing education in the U.S. Their work examines how systems, structures, and cultures perpetuate caste inequities despite an apparent caste-blind environment. They also explore gender diversity in computing education, particularly addressing the leaky pipeline issue affecting women’s participation in STEM fields.

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biography

Stephen Secules Florida International University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-3149-2306

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Dr. Stephen Secules is an Assistant Professor in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education at Florida International University. Secules holds a joint appointment in the STEM Transformation Institute and a secondary appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. He has bachelor degrees in engineering from Dartmouth College, a master’s in Architectural Acoustics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a PhD in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Maryland. Prior to his academic career, Stephen was an acoustical consultant for 5 years in both London, UK and Silicon Valley, CA. His research has focused on culture and equity in engineering education, particularly undergraduate contexts, pedagogy, and student support. Through his work he aims to use critical qualitative, video-based, participatory, and ethnographic methods to look at everyday educational settings in engineering and shift them towards equity and inclusion. He also leads the Equity Research Group where he mentors graduate and undergraduate students in pursuing critical and action-oriented research.

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Abstract

Caste is a deeply entrenched social hierarchy in South Asia that continues to influence educational and career opportunities even in transnational contexts such as the United States. However, caste often becomes invisible through the discourse of caste-blindness, where individuals, particularly those from dominant caste backgrounds, frame caste as irrelevant or obsolete. This study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine how caste-blindness is enacted and sustained through the narrative of Rahul, an upper-caste Indian graduate student in the U.S. STEM education sector. This research analyzes how Rahul speaks about issues of educational and career equity in both South Asia and the U.S., and how his discourse reflects and enacts caste blindness. Findings reveal three key themes: (1) Caste as an Obsolete Construct, where Rahul frames caste as a relic of the past, geographically confined to India, and irrelevant to his transnational educational and professional experiences; (2) Meritocracy and the Denial of Structural Inequalities, where Rahul's discourse aligns with the abstract liberalism tenet of caste-blind racism, emphasizing individual effort while overlooking the systemic advantages conferred by caste privilege; and (3) Transnational Adaptation of Caste Privilege, which highlights how caste hierarchies persist in diaspora communities through social networks and cultural capital, even as they are denied in public discourse. Rahul's statements, such as “caste doesn’t matter here” and “it’s just a name tag,” reflect a pattern of discourse that perpetuates caste privilege while erasing systemic inequities. Through the application of Bonilla-Silva’s color-blind racism framework to caste, this study highlights how Rahul’s discourse contributes to the minimization of caste-based discrimination and the reinforcement of meritocratic ideals that obscure structural disparities. His framing of affirmative action policies as counterproductive and his perception of his own success as solely merit-based reflect a broader socio-cultural narrative that marginalizes oppressed caste individuals and their struggles. The implications of this study are both theoretical and methodological. Theoretically, it contributes to the understanding of caste as a transnational phenomenon that adapts and persists across borders while remaining invisible to those who benefit from it. Methodologically, the use of CDA offers a nuanced approach to analyzing how language perpetuates caste privilege and reinforces social hierarchies in new contexts. The findings call for greater institutional awareness of caste-based inequities in U.S. higher education and professional spaces, urging stakeholders to acknowledge and address caste discrimination through policy interventions and discourse changes. In conclusion, Rahul’s narrative serves as a microcosm of broader caste-blind discourses that sustain privilege while denying systemic oppression. The study underscores the urgent need to challenge caste-blind narratives and create more inclusive spaces for marginalized voices within transnational educational and professional environments. By shedding light on how caste operates subtly through discourse, this research contributes to the broader conversation on equity and social justice in globalized academic and professional spaces.

Kumar, N., & Secules, S. (2025, June), “It’s just a name tag”: The Persistence of Caste Through Caste-Blind Discourses in U.S. STEM Education Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55319

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