RECLAIMING DIGNITY: THE ROLE OF DR. AMBEDKAR IN SHAPING DALIT LIBERATION DISCOURSES
Authors: Soumik Ranjan Bhattacharya
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17407721
Published: April 2024
Abstract
<p><em>Dalit movements from the very beginning have been based on different ideological strands in different parts of the country. The aim of the Dalit movements began as a protest movement to achieve socio-political transformation in the status of Dalit community in India. The word ‘Dalit’ refers to the existential conditions of a group of people who were earlier known as ‘Untouchables’. Untouchability is a deeply ingrained consequence of the caste system and is an unacceptable and harmful social practice. It was abolished when the Indian constitution came into effect in 1950. In spite of its legal abolition, untouchability continues to be practiced in different forms and degrees in almost all parts of India even today. Dalits are struggling hard to reclaim their human dignity and self-respect. Dalit have been ruthlessly exploited and inhumanly subjugated by the upper caste Hindu societies for centuries. They have been fragmented and oppressed by the hegemony of Brahmin culture. Dalit movement asserts right and privileges to the Dalits. The rise of Dalit movements is an example of how Dalits have become a new social and political community. This research paper aims to explore the brief history of Dalit movement and mobilization in India from below. This paper focuses the historical context and evolution of the Dalit movements and politics, focusing on the pre-independence and post- independence period as well as the key role of main Dalit leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Dalit movements in India. </em></p>
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