Scholar, politician, and constitutionalist, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) is modern India’s towering symbol of protest against age-old and contemporary forms of oppression. Born an ‘untouchable’, Ambedkar became India’s foremost opponent of the evil of untouchability and formulated the basis of affirmative action through his advocacy of fair and equal terms of social association. This selection brings together the most powerful and enduring word of a man who touched the conscience of India and draws from Ambedkar’s major works including speeches, letters, and memoranda. The writings span forty years and are a representative reflection on events of his life, methodological concerns, concept-formulation, ideology, religion, caste untouchability, identity, economics, and nationalism as also constitutionalism and law. The introduction sets the context and offers valuable insights into Ambedkar’s life, the framework and content of his writings, the persuasiveness of his philosophy and probes the reasons for his growing stature in India over the years. Every section and excerpt included is introduced and explanatory notes provided to support citations and incomplete references. In addition to a detailed chronology of events that anchors the content of Ambedkar’s writings, this selection includes classification of all his writings and speeches to aid further reading. This volume, the first of its kind on Ambedkar, will be a useful resource on the wide range of issues, which engaged his attention. The book provides a glimpse of how Ambedkar’s reading of Indian history is markedly at variance with the dominant trends in Indian historiography. It further reflects on his efforts to infuse into the study of Indian society and caste, a deep sense of social commitment. This book will be an indispensable source for researchers and scholars of the Dalit movement, Indian nationalism, sociology, modern Buddhism, and affirmative action.
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