Ideas and Movements Against Caste in India : Ancient to Modern Times

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. The Materialist and Sudra Cultural Tradition. 3. The Heterodox Philosophical Tradition (1): Buddhism. 4. The Heterodox Tradition (2): Jainism. 5. Basava and the Lingayat Challenge. 6. The Islamic Challenge. 7. The Sant Tradition: Kabir Weaving For Social Equality. 8. The Christian Challenge. 9. The Sikh Crusade against Caste. 10. Bhakti and the Vaisnava Cult in Bengal: The Caitanya Fervouor. 11. Elite Protest of Nineteenth Century Bengal. 12. Reform Movement in Western India and Jotirao Phule. 13. The Ezhava Protest and Sri Narayana Guru. 14. Nationalizing the Depressed Classes Issue: B.R. Ambedkar. 15. E.V. Ramasami: Crusader of Sudras in the Tamil Land. 16. Gandhi and the Sudras. 17. Conclusions. Bibliography. Index.

Through the pages of the book the author weaves the long tale of continuity of India’s non-Brahminical and anti-caste tradition. The book highlights the fact that Indian tradition is not simply that of the Brahminical discourse. The rich legacy of negation of and protest against such discourse is no less part of India’s social and philosophical heritage.

The fact remains the form ancient times conformity to caste norms has neither been universal nor voluntary. Ever since the early evolution of caste society resistance to the system has been an ongoing process. The book brings together data on such protest ideas and movements covering an extensive range from ancient India’s Sramanic tradition to Ambedkar and Periyar’s protests of the modern period. Alongside the ideas of the prominent thinkers in the field, the historical context, features, weaknesses and contributions of the different movements and strands of thought are minutely examined. It is expected that the book would benefit students, researchers and teachers of sociology, history, philosophy, human rights and politics. Besides, it is likely to be of interest to social activists working in the area.