logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
27m 13s

The hidden caste codes of Silicon Valley

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Sam, Harsha and Siddhant are tech workers of Indian descent, who all say they have experienced discrimination in corporate America. They are not being singled out on the basis of race, gender, religion or nationality, but by an invisible factor; one they were born into, and one that others like them come to the US to try to escape. They say they have faced discrimination because of their caste.

Up next
Today
Suing 'Alligator Alcatraz': Immigration in the US
President Trump has called illegal immigration an “invasion” and what has followed is a huge rise in the arrest and detention of migrants. Some have ended up in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ - an immigration detention centre that was speedily constructed in June, deep in the Florida swamp ... Show More
26m 47s
Yesterday
Adeju Thompson: Taking fashion label Lagos Space Programme to the world
Adeju Thompson, the founder and creative director behind the Nigerian fashion label Lagos Space Programme, attempts to establish the label on the global fashion scene. Lagos Space Programme blends Yoruba heritage (notably Adire dyeing) with queer and futurist aesthetics, taking i ... Show More
26m 29s
Aug 24
Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary presents, Hold Fast!
The incredible true story of how The Avontuur was locked down at sea for 188 days during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 15 people on board. The journey begins for ship’s cook Giulia Baccosi when she accepts a last-minute job aboard the sailing cargo ship The Avontuur. She tells the ... Show More
24m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Caste bias in corporate America
There is a growing debate in the US about the caste system - an ancient social ranking system where the community you are born into determines what kind of job you do, who you marry, and much more. The caste system in India dates back over 3,000 years and divides Hindu society in ... Show More
18m 44s
Oct 2021
480. How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy?
Evidence from Nazi Germany and 1940’s America (and pretty much everywhere else) shows that discrimination is incredibly costly — to the victims, of course, but also the perpetrators. One modern solution is to invoke a diversity mandate. But new research shows that’s not necessari ... Show More
53m 19s
Sep 2021
Racism: living as a person of colour in the UK
Mymuna Soleman, founder of The Privilege Café, educator and influencer, Char Bailey; and Cassie Logan, founder of the Black Culture Movement in Northern Ireland, talk about their experiences of racism in the UK, and what life is like as a person of colour. They explore everything ... Show More
38m 51s
Sep 2023
An Unexpected Battle Over Banning Caste Discrimination
California is poised to become the first state to outlaw discrimination based on a person’s caste. The system of social stratification, which dates back thousands of years, has been outlawed in India and Nepal for decades.Amy Qin, a correspondent who covers Asian American communi ... Show More
24m 45s
Jul 2023
Thug, la secte meurtrière des adorateurs de Kali
Au XIX ème siècle, durant l’Empire Britannique des Indes, des voyageurs disparaissent mystérieusement et sans laisser de trace. Dans ce pays divisé où les colons et les locaux vivent séparément dans deux univers différents , cette affaire de disparation deviendra le problème comm ... Show More
36m 7s
Aug 2020
American Caste with Isabel Wilkerson
Lately everyone has been talking about race, but Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson wants us to look at caste as well. We may associate that strict social hierarchy with India, but Wilkerson argues it has been present in the U.S. for over 400 years. She talks with Don about h ... Show More
21m 17s
Jan 2023
Coming out as India’s first gay prince
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil risked everything when he faced his parents and societyHe was next in line to a centuries-old royal dynasty in the Indian state of Gujarat - and grew up in the 1970s in a gilded cage. His family's desire to keep his blue blood away from what they call ... Show More
39m 9s