Contesting Marginalisations - Conversations on Ambedkarism & Social Justice (English, Paperback, Vidya Bhushan Rawat)

Oral traditions of history need to be preserved. Many time those who have participated in various movements are confined to their local areas. Ambedkarite movement in India can definitely be termed as the biggest dissenter against the Brahmanical hegemony. It gave us some of the most phenomenal names who not only questioned the dominance of religion but religious texts also and refused to be co-opted by the 'nationalist' mainstream. This collection of conversation is the first volume that consists of not only eminent Ambedkarite in India, Nepal and United Kingdom but also of those who may not be hardcore Ambedkarites but worked closely with the community. Caste issue has crossed Indian boundaries and very much visible in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh as well as the United Kingdom too. These conversations bring diverse opinion of people in these regions on the issue of discrimination against Dalits, tribals and other backward communities. Our aim is not to define anything but to bring forth those voices who might have been forgotten in this digital age because many of them have been serving the people without being hyped in the digitalized environment. In this volume, we have also inducted conversation on Periyar as well as on the issue of Chakma tribe from Bangladesh for giving it a wider perspective that the readers might benefit from. We hope that these conversations would clear many ambiguities that people feel these days. Thoughtful conversations give new ideas to develop their own strategies to deal with the current crisis. India is at the cross road and only an understanding Ambedkarite resistance can defeat the brahmanical hegemonists forces and bring enlightenment among the people with humanist rationalist perspective. These conversations are clearly aimed to work towards an Ambedkarite dream of Prabuddha Bharat.