SYMBOLS AND SIGNS LESSON THREE: MODULE TWO “With these marks, you knew where you fit in, both for the people that were in the crowd and those, as importantly, that were excluded.” — Debbie Millman, How symbols and brands shape our humanity Lesson Two Lesson One Lesson Three What Is Caste?

SYMBOLS AND SIGNS: THE HIDDEN LANGUAGE OF HIERARCHY

Thousands of years ago, our human ancestors grasped the essence of their world through symbolism, assigning profound meanings to various events and linking them to tangible objects. Ingeniously, they crafted telegraphic symbols around 6,000 years ago to represent beliefs and signify affiliations. Unlike icons such as 🚗, 🛒, or 📱, which are simplified and realistic representations of real-world objects, symbols were created to encapsulate ideas and abstract concepts. They served as a means to anchor and represent ideology. For instance, a vertical line intersecting a shorter horizontal line became known as a cross, which symbolized Christianity. Similarly, the combination of a star and a crescent moon is now associated with the Islamic faith, while a wheel with eight spokes represents Buddhism. However, the same symbols that possess the power to unite like-minded individuals can also be used to perpetuate division.

Wars have been waged and lives sacrificed in the name of sacred symbols and the cherished ideological values they represent. Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, defines caste as the “presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups based on ancestry and often immutable traits.” Caste systems employ rigid, sometimes arbitrary boundaries to keep ranked groups apart, distinct from one another and confined to their assigned positions. In caste-based societies, these inflexible boundaries are solidified through the assignment of symbols to various hierarchical positions.

Let’s explore different societies from around the world to see examples of how some communities incorporate symbols into their hidden languages of hierarchy.

THE SACRED THREAD: INDIA

THE SWASTIKA: GERMANY

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AND MONUMENTS: UNITED STATES

THE SACRED THREAD: INDIA

THE SWASTIKA: GERMANY

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AND MONUMENTS: UNITED STATES

In October 2023, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia was melted down to be repurposed into new works of art. The monument was at the center of the protest led by white nationalists in 2017 that led to the death of Heather Heyer.

“The statue was taken down in 2021 after years of debate and delay. Protests over the plan to remove the statue morphed into the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017. It was during that rally that James Alex Fields Jr., an avowed Hitler admirer, intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Fields is serving a life sentence.” – AP News

“The statue was taken down in 2021 after years of debate and delay. Protests over the plan to remove the statue morphed into the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017. It was during that rally that James Alex Fields Jr., an avowed Hitler admirer, intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Fields is serving a life sentence.”
– AP News

WHAT’S NEW?

The Janeu thread, the Swastika and the Confederate Flag are three examples of tangible, outward facing symbols that are either worn or displayed. But symbols continue to evolve and shape our present-day culture. Emojis and memes are meant to be fun and quirky, but might they be used in our digital communications in ways that signal status, or even exclude?

In the following activities, let’s explore the creation and use of memes and emojis and what they reveal about society and hierarchies.

ACTIVITY:

EMOJI EVOLUTION: DECIPHERING SYMBOLS OLD AND NEW

Emojis are more than just fun faces! Emojis have become a universal language of the digital age. In the same way older symbols conveyed deep meanings, emojis also have layers.

Fun Fact

The word emoji, invented in 1997, is Japanese in origin. It was created by combining e (絵) which means “picture” with moji (文字) which means “character.”

Initially conceived as lighthearted and expressive visual aids, emojis have evolved into something far more complex. On the surface, emojis are a means of expressing emotions, thoughts or ideas in a creative and often comical manner. Emojis transcend the barriers of language, connecting people globally. However, like traditional symbols that have conveyed complex ideologies for millennia, emojis carry with them the ability to unite and divide. Although emojis are often celebrated for their ability to foster connections, these seemingly harmless symbols can be used to stereotype individuals.

Emojis and Caste?

Emojis can inadvertently reflect societal biases and thus function as caste symbols.

A recent study from the University of Edinburgh contends that “emojis can change how people perceive the information that is provided in a similar way to how people speak can reveal information about a person’s identity.” For instance, facial and hand emojis, which are embedded with a certain skin tone or a certain hair color, may be attributed a social meaning that advantages some groups over others when a person uses them. Even the default yellow skin-toned emojis are still white-leaning — the way that the hair falls, the shape of the eyes, etc. — and reinforce white standards of beauty. Given this issue of neutrality and the prevalence of emojis, how do we devise a solution that highlights inclusivity and removes caste biases in our use of these symbols?

PROCEDURES

  • BEGIN by watching A Brief History of Emoji, and CONSIDER any new learning or insights you have after viewing this clip.
  • GUESS an emoji’s meaning using the flipcards below. What would be a fun way to use some of the lesser-known symbols?

PROCEDURES

  • BEGIN by watching A Brief History of Emoji, and CONSIDER any new learning or insights you have after viewing this clip.
  • GUESS an emoji’s meaning using the flipcards below. What would be a fun way to use some of the lesser-known symbols?

Non-potable water | Water that’s only suitable for non-drinking purposes

Vulcan Salute | From the show Star Trek, the hand sign sends good wishes and means “live long and prosper”

Fleur-de-lis | Pride in French heritage

Teacup | Tea, or the latest gossip

Money with wings | Losing or gaining large sums of money

GOAT | An initialism that means Greatest of All Time

Non-potable water | Water that’s only suitable for non-drinking purposes

Vulcan Salute | From the show Star Trek, the hand sign sends good wishes and means “live long and prosper”

Fleur-de-lis | Pride in French heritage

Teacup | Tea, or the latest gossip

Money with wings | Losing or gaining large sums of money

GOAT | An initialism that means Greatest of All Time

Definition Source: https://www.engagebay.com/blog/emojis-with-meaning/

ACTIVITY:

SYMBOLS AND SIGNS WORKSHEET AND ACTIVITIES

What if our current emoji and trending memes are fraught with biases?
Download this worksheet and create new emojis and memes that are inclusive as a group!

Ready to learn? Click this PDF to download or print this activity ↓

LESSON 3: MODULE 1

Silent
Earthquakes

BACK TO MODULE

LESSON 4: OVERVIEW

Getting Into
Good Trouble

EXPLORE LESSON
ORIGIN 101

THE SACRED THREAD: INDIA

A yagyopaveet sanskar upanayana samskara | Image Credit: Vinodbahal

​​In ancient Indian tradition, men belonging to the three highest castes (Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya) would don a sacred thread known as the janeu or upavita. This thread was worn diagonally from their left shoulder to their right hip, serving as a constant reminder of their sacred duties and obligations to their families’ deities and to themselves.

The Janeu thread traces its origins to the Vedic period of ancient Hinduism, dating back thousands of years. Initially, it was exclusively worn by Brahmin boys as a vital component of their Upanayana initiation ceremony, marking their entrance into the Vedic education system. The thread held a profound significance, symbolizing their initiation into spiritual and intellectual pursuits, as well as their commitment to upholding moral and social responsibilities within society.

As time progressed, the Janeu thread became synonymous with caste identification. In the Hindu caste system, Brahmins have traditionally occupied the highest social and intellectual positions. They have served as custodians of religious rituals, bearers of knowledge and wielders of spiritual authority. Consequently, the Janeu thread evolved into a symbol of their elevated social status and privileged standing, coming to represent caste-based privileges.

In modern India, there has been an effort to move away from discussions centered on caste, with the aspiration of achieving a caste-free future. Poet and author Harnidh Kaur writes, “Caste is still prevalent in India—and not just in the villages. We've deluded ourselves into believing that caste is an "othered" problem, one that is resolved by education alone. The caste problem, in [some people's] minds, is arbitrarily relegated to those "uneducated villagers." Caste is still killing people, still marginalizing students, and still depriving them of basic human rights." She continues, “To try and assimilate these practices—like the "thread" ceremony—and to make them benign, and ignore what they have stood for, is to absolve ourselves and our families of being complicit."

THE SWASTIKA: GERMANY

Image Credit: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1940). On the seventh anniversary of (his) coming to power, the Führer spoke to the whole nation.

The swastika symbol, derived from the Sanskrit term "svastika," is an ancient and widely used symbol with a history dating back over 5,000 years to the South Asian Indus Valley Civilization. The pre-Aryan version of this symbol takes the form of an equilateral cross with arms bent to the right at 90-degree angles, and it carries profound positive connotations such as auspiciousness, good fortune, prosperity and, notably, fertility. It holds significance in several major religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Odinism.

Despite its long history of positive associations, the swastika's meaning took a drastic and lasting turn when Nazi Germany adopted its use. In the nineteenth century, Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist, made a connection between his discoveries of a hooked cross at the ancient Troy site and similar symbols found on pottery in Germany. He speculated that the swastika represented a religious symbol of their forefathers, linking it to a shared Aryan civilization that spanned Europe and Asia. This connection resulted in the development of an "Aryan identity" that became a source of pride for German nationalists.

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AND MONUMENTS: UNITED STATES

Image Credit: National Archives

Confederate flag flying over Fort Sumter
When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, they hoisted the Bonnie Blue Flag, a blue banner adorned with a solitary white star. However, as secession progressed, the Confederate States of America adopted a different flag known as the “Stars and Bars,” which bore a resemblance to the Union’s stars and stripes but often caused confusion on the battlefield. In response to this confusion, General Pierre Beauregard commissioned William Porcher Miles to design a new flag, which came to be known as the Southern Cross. This flag featured an X-shaped pattern known as the St. Andrew’s Cross, along with a star representing each state that had seceded from the Union. This design eventually became recognized as the Confederate Flag.

After the Civil War, the South entered a period of Reconstruction in which slavery was abolished, and Black Americans were granted citizenship and voting rights. However, in a racially segregated society, many white Southerners sought to regain dominance after this brief period of change. To cope with their defeat, some white Southerners began to mythologize the Confederacy, commemorating Confederate soldiers and promoting a revisionist history. This effort to rewrite history as it related to America's Civil War gained momentum and led to the erection of Confederate monuments honoring soldiers and leaders who embraced enslavement, as well as the addition of pro-Confederacy language in school textbooks and the incorporation of the battle flag into the Mississippi state emblem. Reporter Anne Marshall writes, "...in a state with the highest percentage of Black Americans in the U.S., the flag had come to symbolize white Mississippians' refusal to cede any real political, social or economic power."

In 1948, the Dixiecrats, a pro-segregation splinter party, adopted the Confederate battle emblem as a symbol of their opposition to the civil rights movement and racial integration. This further solidified the flag's association with bigotry.

In recent years, the flag's connection to hatred has been increasingly acknowledged, particularly following the 2015 church murder in Charleston, South Carolina, where the shooter displayed the Confederate battle flag. This tragic event prompted multiple states to remove the flag from memorials, and retailers ceased selling merchandise bearing the Confederate Flag.

THE SACRED THREAD: INDIA

A yagyopaveet sanskar upanayana samskara | Image Credit: Vinodbahal

​​In ancient Indian tradition, men belonging to the three highest castes (Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya) would don a sacred thread known as the janeu or upavita. This thread was worn diagonally from their left shoulder to their right hip, serving as a constant reminder of their sacred duties and obligations to their families’ deities and to themselves.

The Janeu thread traces its origins to the Vedic period of ancient Hinduism, dating back thousands of years. Initially, it was exclusively worn by Brahmin boys as a vital component of their Upanayana initiation ceremony, marking their entrance into the Vedic education system. The thread held a profound significance, symbolizing their initiation into spiritual and intellectual pursuits, as well as their commitment to upholding moral and social responsibilities within society.

As time progressed, the Janeu thread became synonymous with caste identification. In the Hindu caste system, Brahmins have traditionally occupied the highest social and intellectual positions. They have served as custodians of religious rituals, bearers of knowledge and wielders of spiritual authority. Consequently, the Janeu thread evolved into a symbol of their elevated social status and privileged standing, coming to represent caste-based privileges.

In modern India, there has been an effort to move away from discussions centered on caste, with the aspiration of achieving a caste-free future. Poet and author Harnidh Kaur writes, “Caste is still prevalent in India—and not just in the villages. We've deluded ourselves into believing that caste is an "othered" problem, one that is resolved by education alone. The caste problem, in [some people's] minds, is arbitrarily relegated to those "uneducated villagers." Caste is still killing people, still marginalizing students, and still depriving them of basic human rights." She continues, “To try and assimilate these practices—like the "thread" ceremony—and to make them benign, and ignore what they have stood for, is to absolve ourselves and our families of being complicit."

THE SWASTIKA: GERMANY

Image Credit: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1940). On the seventh anniversary of (his) coming to power, the Führer spoke to the whole nation.

The swastika symbol, derived from the Sanskrit term "svastika," is an ancient and widely used symbol with a history dating back over 5,000 years to the South Asian Indus Valley Civilization. The pre-Aryan version of this symbol takes the form of an equilateral cross with arms bent to the right at 90-degree angles, and it carries profound positive connotations such as auspiciousness, good fortune, prosperity and, notably, fertility. It holds significance in several major religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Odinism.

Despite its long history of positive associations, the swastika's meaning took a drastic and lasting turn when Nazi Germany adopted its use. In the nineteenth century, Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist, made a connection between his discoveries of a hooked cross at the ancient Troy site and similar symbols found on pottery in Germany. He speculated that the swastika represented a religious symbol of their forefathers, linking it to a shared Aryan civilization that spanned Europe and Asia. This connection resulted in the development of an "Aryan identity" that became a source of pride for German nationalists.

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AND MONUMENTS: UNITED STATES

Image Credit: National Archives

Confederate flag flying over Fort Sumter
When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, they hoisted the Bonnie Blue Flag, a blue banner adorned with a solitary white star. However, as secession progressed, the Confederate States of America adopted a different flag known as the “Stars and Bars,” which bore a resemblance to the Union’s stars and stripes but often caused confusion on the battlefield. In response to this confusion, General Pierre Beauregard commissioned William Porcher Miles to design a new flag, which came to be known as the Southern Cross. This flag featured an X-shaped pattern known as the St. Andrew’s Cross, along with a star representing each state that had seceded from the Union. This design eventually became recognized as the Confederate Flag.

After the Civil War, the South entered a period of Reconstruction in which slavery was abolished, and Black Americans were granted citizenship and voting rights. However, in a racially segregated society, many white Southerners sought to regain dominance after this brief period of change. To cope with their defeat, some white Southerners began to mythologize the Confederacy, commemorating Confederate soldiers and promoting a revisionist history. This effort to rewrite history as it related to America's Civil War gained momentum and led to the erection of Confederate monuments honoring soldiers and leaders who embraced enslavement, as well as the addition of pro-Confederacy language in school textbooks and the incorporation of the battle flag into the Mississippi state emblem. Reporter Anne Marshall writes, "...in a state with the highest percentage of Black Americans in the U.S., the flag had come to symbolize white Mississippians' refusal to cede any real political, social or economic power."

In 1948, the Dixiecrats, a pro-segregation splinter party, adopted the Confederate battle emblem as a symbol of their opposition to the civil rights movement and racial integration. This further solidified the flag's association with bigotry.

In recent years, the flag's connection to hatred has been increasingly acknowledged, particularly following the 2015 church murder in Charleston, South Carolina, where the shooter displayed the Confederate battle flag. This tragic event prompted multiple states to remove the flag from memorials, and retailers ceased selling merchandise bearing the Confederate Flag.