The History of Christian Sweepers in Lahore

Presentation of the project

Swept Aside explores the lives of Christian women from the "Chura" caste communities, historically employed as sanitation workers in Pakistan. As Ayra Indrias Patras points out: “Christians, who make up less than 5% of Lahore's population, account for more than 80% of the sanitation workforce,” a result of longstanding recruitment practices and current policies that maintain sanitation work as a "traditional caste occupation". The book offers a critical analysis of the historical and structural dynamics shaping these communities, both religious minorities and caste-oppressed, including internal stigmatisation perpetuated by certain Christian elites seeking to detach Christian identity from caste. Grounded in women’s lived experiences, it sheds light on persistent discrimination and the ongoing reproduction of caste hierarchies. Swept Aside traces these histories of discrimination–past, present, and possible futures–while foregrounding Chura communities through their own voices and spaces. It also shows how contemporary forms of privatisation contribute to reinscribing caste relations.