B R Ambedkar

Arguably, taking oath is an ethical virtue and perhaps also a device that, therefore, demands from the oath- taker an intense allegiance and firm commitment to norms and textualised principles that make political practices and the resultant social order decent.

Most mainstream films that centre caste have, even if unknowingly, not understood the historical roots and cultural background of Dalits.

I met Gail Omvedt in 1990, at the Centre for Social Studies (CSS), Surat, where I had joined as a faculty member, my first ever job. Omvedt had been a visiting fellow at the CSS for a few months, working on her book on the “new” social movements.

A challenge is mounted against the widespread assumption that Ambedkar was prejudiced against “tribe,” by revealing acts of academic carelessness that occur in the writings of some scholars through the cherry-picking of quotes and failure to historically contextualise the same. Some such popular (mis)quotes and Ambedkar’s writings on tribe over a period of time are investigated, taking into account both their immediate and larger historical context, to argue that there are better ways to make sense of Ambedkar’s stance on the subject.