Making the Invisible Visible: Professor Hari Bapuji’s Keynote on Caste and Inequality in the Australian Diaspora

The symposium Understanding Caste Discrimination in Diaspora: Building Dialogues and Allyship marks an important academic–community gathering in Melbourne, confronting the persistent invisibility of caste within Australia’s South Asian diaspora. The event, organised by the Digital Heritage Centre and Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies (University of Nottingham Ningbo China), brings together scholars, activists, and community organisations to examine caste’s social, cultural, and institutional manifestations in transnational contexts.

Professor Hari Bapuji: Making Caste Visible

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Hari Bapuji, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne, titled “Invisibility of Caste in the Australian Diaspora.”

In his presentation, Professor Bapuji will argue that caste continues to function as a system of inequality largely because of its invisibility. This invisibility stems not only from the absence of physical markers but also from caste’s amorphous and often unspoken presence in social and professional spaces. He will propose a conceptual framework for understanding caste in diaspora and demonstrate how it appears in Australia through patterns of social exclusion, underrepresentation, and silence.

“Caste persists through what remains unseen,” Professor Bapuji notes. “Making it visible is the first step toward accountability and equitable social outcomes.”

Drawing from his research at the intersection of business and society, Professor Bapuji will also discuss how inequality and representation intersect within academic and professional institutions. As co-founder of Action to Improve Representation, he has consistently championed inclusion and equity in management academia and beyond.