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Latest Entries
Learning from Mistakes
By Sara Christensen Doing research in Kerala was a process of going farther outside my comfort zone than I ever thought possible. It involved a significant amount of culture shock; I was challenged physically, intellectually, and emotionally. My mind was broadened, my cultural understanding was deepened, and I realized that any process that involves learning … Continue reading
Gaining Confidence through CREST
By Arathi A. After completing my MSc at Central University of Pondicherry, I came back to my home in Calicut. I applied for many jobs and began attending interviews but I was unable to move forward. Fed up with being rejected from all of my interviews, I decided to join CREST. Before joining, I thought … Continue reading
Breaking the Ice
By Biljith PB After my graduation, I was seeking a job. At that time, I saw an advertisement in a newspaper for CREST (Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation). The advertisement described a five-month diploma course aimed at graduates. I applied and was invited for an interview. Fortunately, I was selected, despite not … Continue reading
My CREST Experience
By Sreeraj Elamana I come from Pantheerankave, a small village in Kerala. My journey started at a primary school in Calicut which, despite a basic setup, stoked a passion for engineering in me. I pursued a B.Tech in Mechanical engineering from a reputed engineering college. It was after my graduation that I came to … Continue reading
Witnessing the Change
By Rithik Sidharth I was born and bought up in a small village in Kerala. After completing my matriculation it was my decision to choose science as my higher secondary stream in order to get a good career, because I came from a family that lacked a strong financial base. After the successful completion of … Continue reading
CREST Activities
By Anjana I vaguely remember that very fine day that changed my life from “depressed” to “happy.” It was a normal day in my boring life, but specifically a Wednesday, the day the newspaper brings advertisement on education and jobs. I saw the notification for CREST’s 23rd batch PGCCPD programme. The main draw for me … Continue reading
Educational Spaces of Contention: The navigation of capital and aspiration by female students in Kerala
By Sydney Lang During my first week at CREST, I was shocked by the visible intimacy between students; they would hold hands, play games with each other, and hug each other often. This was in direct contrast to the interactions I had experienced in the public sphere, particularly on the bus, where women sit at … Continue reading
Crestians Identity performance in a post-graduate skills training program in India
By Shannon McKechnie The students I met at CREST were forthcoming about the transitions they felt they went through during the program. They described being scared or nervous to participate and speak with each other or the program interns when they first arrived in Calicut, but by the end of the five month … Continue reading
Evening the Score: CREST’s Destabilization of Caste-Structured Distribution of Capital In Contemporary Kerala
By Sam Tait Long heralded as an oasis of ‘development,’ democracy, literacy, genderequality, caste consciousness and political mobilization against the formalized caste system (Devika 2010; Steur 2009), in truth, structural inequality arranged across caste lines persists in Kerala (Mosse 2010; Nampoothiri 2009; Isac 2011). Dr. Susamma Isac, a project officer at CREST, asserts that in … Continue reading
Overcoming Inequality with CREST
By Sara Christensen Kerala is a unique place. Within India, it is a state known for its development, both economic and social. Yet institutions such as the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST) are still needed. Although the caste system is now officially illegal in India, “former lowcaste citizens,” now referred to … Continue reading
Ethnography Lab 