Pitching and Submission

We invite original, unpublished writing that engages with the political urgency of anti-caste struggle, rooted firmly in lived experience and committed to amplifying marginalized and emerging voices within the broader movement. Dalit Voice strives to deliver analysis that is both rigorous and accessible, combining sharp, polemical expression with a respectful plurality of perspectives, without falling into relativism or ambivalence on core issues. Our editorial approach is grounded in political clarity, editorial seriousness, and a commitment to building a collective voice accountable to both readers and social movements. The platform’s tone is bold without being strident, thoughtful without aloofness, political yet free from unnecessary jargon, and urgent while grounded in historical depth and substantiated evidence. Within this framework, articles should be pushing conversations forward by critiquing dominant narratives, illuminating overlooked histories, or offering fresh perspectives rooted in anti-caste praxis. The tone should be polemical, and the content explicitly political; neutrality or abstraction are not the aim. Write with conviction, clarity, and purpose, making your work accessible to politically engaged readers.

To pitch:

  1. Brief pitch (max 2 paragraphs)
    What do you want to write? What is your argument? Why now?
  2. Short bio (under 100 words)
    Include any information about your political, social, or community location you wish to share (optional but encouraged).
  3. Send pitches to:
    📩 paresh.hate@dalitsahityaacademy.com

Response timeline:

We aim to respond within 2 weeks.

If you haven’t heard back by then, you’re welcome to submit elsewhere.

 

Editorial Commitments

We are:

  • Politically grounded: All writing should take a clear position rooted in anti-caste ideology.
  • Oriented toward material realities: Theory is welcome, but only when in conversation with experience, organizing, or historical context.
  • Radically inclusive: We prioritize Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, Muslim, queer, trans, disabled, and working-class voices.
  • Uncompromisingly anti-caste: We are guided by the long and ongoing legacy of those who have fought for annihilation of caste.
  • Accountable to real-world struggles: Our writing must be in dialogue with the lives, movements, and politics that seek structural change, not detached commentary or individual branding.

 

Tone and Voice

  • Bold, not strident: Speak with clarity and strength, not empty aggression.
  • Accessible, not reductive: Write for politically engaged readers, explain ideas, but trust your audience’s capacity to follow complex thought.
  • Political, not partisan: Critique parties, leaders, and institutions, but don’t reduce politics to electoral or institutional frameworks.
  • Urgent, not reactionary: Respond to the moment, but always with historical grounding and deliberate analysis.
  • Engaged, not aloof: Avoid distance or detachment, write with emotional and political investment.
  • Confident, not over-cited: Use evidence to support your claims, but don’t outsource your argument to citations. Let your voice lead.

 

Content Guidelines

Length

  • 1000–2000 words
  • Longer pieces may be considered when commissioned or if the content demands it, especially for investigative or research-intensive work.

We seek writing that pushes forward anti-caste analysis with clarity, conviction, and political depth. Follow our themes from ‘Grounds of Struggles’ to understand the kind of material we publish.  Submissions may take the form of:

  • Historical Voices — contributions about the anti-caste canon;
  • Movement Dispatches — updates from and for the social movements;
  • Enculturing Politics — reviews of films, shows, books, art, music from an anti-caste perspective;
  • Theory & Critique — conceptual interventions in anti-caste and adjacent politics;
  • Mythbusters — concise discourse critiques on caste;
  • The Hidden Stories of Caste — investigative journalism;

If you feel like you are unable to decide where your ideas fit, we can discuss it after your pitch.

 

Structure and Style

Introduction: Open with a sharp thesis, striking image, or urgent question. Avoid vague or meandering starts. Make your argument or central theme clear early on.

Body: Organize logically. Use subheadings if your piece is long or multifaceted. Avoid dense, academic walls of text. Use concise paragraphs (3–5 sentences). Anchor abstract ideas in concrete examples: history, experience, law, media, policy, or everyday life. Cite your sources, but don’t let your argument be overshadowed by them. Let your reasoning, perspective, and political clarity lead: sources should support your voice, not replace it. Use hyperlinks for online citations: include them directly in the draft.

Conclusion: End with a provocation, insight, or political takeaway. Avoid rhetorical vagueness. Leave the reader with something to think about, or act on.

 

Political Orientation and Framing

Your work should:

  • Be grounded in anti-caste analysis and a clear political location.
  • Refuse caste-neutral liberalism or ideas of “unity” that ignore power relations.
  • Challenge structural oppression, including caste, capitalism, patriarchy, Hindutva, religious majoritarianism, policing, carcerality, NGO-ization, and savarna institutional dominance.
  • Show how systems of power are maintained and resisted.
  • Avoid calls for “diversity,” “inclusion,” or “awareness” that are disconnected from agency and structural change.
  • Draw connections across struggles when appropriate but do so with specificity and depth, not vague solidarity.

 

Language and Terminology

Use:

  • “Savarna” instead of “upper caste”
  • “Dominant caste,” “Bahujan,” “Adivasi,” “Dalit” with political clarity
  • “Caste-oppressed”, “oppressed-caste” when appropriate
  • “Caste violence,” “institutional casteism,” “structural exclusion” instead of euphemisms

 

Avoid:

  • Terms like “underprivileged,” “less fortunate,” or “weaker sections”
  • Bureaucratic shorthand (e.g., SC/ST/OBC) unless used contextually or politically
  • Generalizations that erase internal complexities within marginalized communities
  • Passive constructions that hide perpetrators of violence
    (e.g., “Dalits died in the clash” → “Police fired on Dalit protestors, killing X people”)

 

Citations and Attribution

  • Use hyperlinks for digital sources.
  • For books or print references, cite the author, title, and year (e.g., Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste, 1936).
  • Attribute quotes, ideas, or references accurately.
  • When quoting individuals or sharing testimonies, get consent if the person is identifiable.
  • Use evidence to strengthen your analysis, not substitute for it. Your perspective is valid; build on it with clarity and confidence.

 

Avoid the Following

  • Both-sides arguments or caste-neutral framing
  • Excessive academic jargon
  • Feel-good stories of individual resilience disconnected from systemic critique
  • Framing caste as only a rural or historical issue
  • Savarna “allyship” centered narratives
  • Over-generalizations or abstraction
  • Rights talk without addressing agency, structure, and power

 

Who We Prioritize

We actively prioritize submissions from writers and thinkers who are:

  • Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi persons
  • Muslim, Christian, or other religious minorities
  • Queer, trans, intersex, and non-binary persons
  • Women and gender-oppressed individuals
  • Working-class, landless, or economically marginalized
  • Disabled, migrant, refugee, and other oppressed class persons across axes of power and across borders

You do not need to be a published writer. If you have a story to tell, an argument to make, and a politics rooted in struggle, your voice belongs here.

 

Compensation and Editorial Process

  • We believe in fair, transparent compensation.
  • We operate on a sliding scale payment model currently, depending on length, complexity, and available funding.
  • Payment details will be discussed upon commissioning. We strive to always be upfront and clear.
  • We edit collaboratively, and you will approve the final version before publication.
  • Contributors can withdraw their work at any time prior to publishing.
  • All published work will be freely accessible and open access. We reject institutional gatekeeping and do not subscribe to copyright or intellectual property regimes that restrict the collective circulation of knowledge, especially when produced from and for marginalized communities.

 

Final Note

Dalit Voice is not a brand. It is a political space.

It is a platform for radical thought, collective imagination, and unflinching critique. We do not publish content to appease institutions, chase trends, or seek elite approval. We publish to unsettle, to expose, to intervene, and to stand firmly with those fighting to dismantle caste and all structures of domination.