Sensory Caste Hierarchies: Touching the Unseen

This paper will attempt to explore the idea of untouchability as a form of social relationship within the caste system. It aims to explore how physical contact, or its avoidance, is used to control social processes and maintain social discrimination. This paper will look at how conflict operates through feelings of shame and rejection and examine how certain emotional experiences, such as touch or closeness, can be used to mark people as "clean" or "unclean" in accordance to layers of nature, resulting in social exclusion and marginalization. Through this analysis and critical thinking, the paper will attempt to challenge the social norms and practices associated with conflict.