The odour of segregation

Abstract

This article explores odour as a powerful mechanism in reproducing caste and investigates how odour affects caste boundaries. Based on embodied ethnographic fieldwork and interviews conducted in Ajmer, India, I show that odours create symbolic boundaries for ex-untouchables. I argue that these malodours are structurally produced within and around the spatial boundaries of ex-untouchable ghettos through the interaction of disadvantaged topographies, filth, caste occupations and urban poverty. The article makes three key contributions: first, it establishes that odour is not only cultural but also structural; second, it introduces a sensorial perspective to studying segregation; and third, it identifies a novel mechanism on the social reproduction of caste hierarchies.