“Touching Matters” is a research project that explores the intra-actions between the Indian caste system, the associated practice of untouchability and the figure of the sacred cow in the Hindu religion. In this study, traditional academic methods are used in exploring the history of the caste system and its shifting modalities, by exploring concepts such as purity, hierarchy, identity and agency. This research combines B.R. Ambedkar’s theory of the origins of the Untouchable and the emergence of untouchability, with Judith Butler’s concept of the materiality of the body and Karen Barad’s concept of intra-actions.

Keywords: India, caste system