Segregated Spaces and Stigmatized Lives: Conceptualizing Colony Life Experiences of Dalits in Kerala

This article examines the living experiences of Dalit colonies in Kerala, with a particular focus on Scheduled Caste (SC) colonies. According to the 2011 Census, the SC population in Kerala was 3,039,573. Among these, 2,376,489 individuals, representing 564,329 SC families, have been living in various colonies for long years. These colonies are situated in ghetto-like marginalized spaces of the mainland, including isolated hill slopes, farm fields, rocky outcrops and steep mountain ranges. This study employs an ethnographic method, conducting in-depth interviews and field observations in selected SC colonies in Kerala. This article attempts to answer three questions: (a) Why are these colonies located on uninhabitable land such as hill slopes, rocky outcrops, steep mountain ranges and farm fields, thereby constraining access to resources and opportunities for mobility? (b) How is the social stigmatization of SC colonies is evident in terms such as colony people, caste colony and colony culture , which frame them as a discredited social category within public discourse. (c) What factors contribute to the socioeconomic disadvantages experienced by SC families living in colonies? Through this analysis, the article aims to enhance the conceptual framework defining ‘colony life’ as a ‘distinct socio-spatial life experience’, highlighting the socioeconomic disparities of SC colonies in comparison to SC families living outside the colonies.