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Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste as political philosophy

Deepa Nair Fellow
· 4 replies · 156 views
JusticeIndian#caste#social-justice
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In 1936 B. R. Ambedkar was invited to give the presidential address at the annual conference of the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal, an anti-caste Hindu reform group in Lahore. When the organisers saw the text, they asked him to remove parts, he refused, and the conference was cancelled. He published the speech himself as Annihilation of Caste.

Ambedkar argues that caste is not merely a division of labour but a division of labourers, graded in hierarchy; that it's sustained by religious sanction; and that reform within caste is impossible. Gandhi responded in his journal Harijan, and Ambedkar replied in later editions.

He studied at Columbia under John Dewey, and Dewey's influence on his idea of democracy as a mode of associated living is clear.

I think this is one of the great works of twentieth-century political philosophy, yet it's rarely taught outside India. Why?

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4 replies

  1. Anand Pillai

    Fellow

    I read it for the first time last year and was shocked by how directly it addresses Hindus who think of themselves as reformers. It's not written for an academic audience; it's a confrontation. Maybe that's one reason it isn't taught.

  2. Arjun Iyer

    Fellow

    As an older Hindu reader, I'll be honest. Ambedkar's critique of the scriptures is painful, and he's right that reformers like me often defend an ideal Hinduism that never existed in practice. The book deserves to be taught everywhere, particularly in India.

    Helpful · 1
  3. Sana Mir

    Fellow

    In Pakistan, caste exists among Muslims too, and nobody talks about it. Ambedkar's analysis of graded inequality applies far beyond Hinduism. That alone should make it widely read.

    Helpful · 2
  4. Hamza Qureshi

    Fellow

    As a lawyer, I admire his double career: philosopher of social revolution and chief architect of a constitution. The Annihilation of Caste explains why he insisted on fundamental rights against social as well as state power.

    Helpful · 3