Studying Dalit history in the 21st century

Dalit studies are about much more than the enquiry of victimhood.

This April, Dalit History Month was once again celebrated by various educational institutions outside India, where special events were held to mark the occasion. Dalit History Month is closely associated with the celebration of the life and work of B R Ambedkar, the eminent Indian scholar, Dalit intellectual and social reformer, who has become a central figure in the Dalit struggle. In India, the month of April is celebrated with different names such as Ambedkar Month, or Ambedkar Saptah (Ambedkar Weeks) with pan-India multilingual music festivals, lectures, publications, seminars, and art exhibitions to observe and meditate on Dalit culture and history. The Dalit community draws recognition and inspiration from their most cherished hero, Ambedkar. As I have argued in my book Caste Matters (2019), he has become a god-like figure or a superhuman for the destitute, poor, resourceless Dalits. They stand by him and seek to utilize his life struggle as a guidebook to contest their poverty, oppression, and ruthless casteism at the hands of oppressors who self-identify as “upper” castes.