THEORISING CASTE AND ADDRESSING EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AMBEDKAR AND GANDHI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.3969Keywords:
Justice, Caste, Liberty, Equality, Education, Social Justice, Political Thought, Philosophy EtcAbstract [English]
The caste system in India is a complex social structure that has persisted despite constitutional and legal reforms. Despite these efforts, it still leads to socio-economic disparities and discrimination. People often view education as a transformative tool to challenge these norms. This paper is analysing the theoretical foundation of caste and the educational philosophies of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, two prominent leaders in India, to understand their contributions to caste and social reform. Ambedkar condemned caste systems and emphasised education for the poor, whereas Gandhi linked education with rural India's enlightenment. This analysis also aims to understand the historical and political context; the role of education in social mobility, social inequality, and marginalisation; education policies and strategies; and the educational philosophies of Ambedkar and Gandhi, offering practical recommendations for socially engaged individuals in their pursuit of social justice.
References
Acharya, Subhendu K. (2019), “Origin and concept of caste: Various theories”, Human Population Genetic, Web Link https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/antp08/chapter/origin-and-concept-of-caste-various-theories/
Aikara, J. (2004), Education: Sociological Perspectives. Jaipur, Rawat Publications.
Barua, A. (2019), Revisiting the Gandhi–Ambedkar Debates over ‘Caste’: The Multiple Resonances of Varna, Journal of Human Values, 25(1), 25-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0971685818805328
Biswas, S. (2021), Gandhi and Ambedkar against Untouchability: A Reappraisal. South Asia Research, 41(2), 259-278. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02627280211000159
Bose, Nirmal. Kumar (1960), Selections from Gandhi: Encyclopedia of Gandhi's Thoughts, Navajivan Mudranalaya, Ahmadabad.
Dar, Rayees Ahmad (2022), Educational Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and His Educational Relevance to Contemporary world, Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology, XIV (4), 92-101.
Dirk, Nicholas B. (2001), Caste of Mind: Colonialism and the making of Modern India, Princeton University Press.
Dumont, L. (1970), Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and Its Implications. Delhi: Oxford India, Paperbacks.
Ghurye H.S (2022), “Perspectives on the Study of Caste Systems: GS Ghurye, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, Andre Beteille, Lotus Arise”, Web accessed https://lotusarise.com/perspectives-on-the-study-of-caste-systems-gs-ghurye-m-n-srinivas-louis-dumont-andre-beteille/?srsltid=AfmBOorzHNcYAHMWPNuH2oMv2Nl4wrI35nEQWAn0yiXhWEFwdudjgJYt
Goldenweizer, A. A. (2004), Castes in India: Their mechanism, genesis and development. Readings in Indian Government and Politics Class, Caste, Gender, 131–53.
Hebbar, D. L. (2023), Economic Thoughts of Dr. Ambedkar, International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5 (5), 1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.6461
Kumar, Aiswarya (2015), Radical Equality: Ambedkar, Gandhi, and the Risk of Democracy, Navayana. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11126/stanford/9780804791953.001.0001
Mahanand, Jandumani (2019), JNU and the Ambedkarite idea of public education, Caravan, Web accessed https://caravanmagazine.in/education/jnu-ambedkarite-idea-public-education
Mandal, Bankim Chandra (2023), An Overview of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s Ideas of Education and Relevance in The Present Indian Situation, The Asiatic Society, Vol. L11 (2), 13-20.
Mondal, Subhash Chandra (2018), Glimpses of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Vision on Education, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), | Vol. 6 (3), 17-23.
Mosse, David (2018), Caste and development: Contemporary perspectives on a structure of discrimination and advantage, World Development, Vol. 110, 422-436. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.06.003
Nagrale, H., Zare, B., Wakade, A. (2023). B. R. Ambedkar as Visionary Educator. In: Geier, B.A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81037-5_218-1
Nambissan. G.B. (2013), ‘Opening up the Black Box/Sociologists and the Study of Schooling in India’ In Geetha Nambissan and S Srinivasa Rao (eds.). Sociology of Education in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198082866.003.0005
Omveldt, Gail (1993), Dalits and the Democratic Revolution: Dr Ambedkar and the Dalit Movement in Colonial India, Sage India.
Omveldt, Gail (2012), Understanding Caste: From Buddha to Ambedkar and Beyond, Orient BlackSwan.
Patel, M. S. (1958), The Education Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, Navajivan Publishing House.
Roy, Arundhati (2014), Annihilation of Caste. New Delhi, India: Navayana Publishing Private Ltd.
Subedi, M. (2013), Some Theoretical Consideration on Caste, Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 7, 51-186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v7i0.10437
Tandale, Dadasaheb (2021), Educate, Agitate, Organize: Rising to the Clarion Call of Dr. Ambedkar, South Asian American Digital Archive, Web accessed https://www.saada.org/tides/article/educate-agitate-organize
Verma, Vidhu (2022), Ambedkar, Buddhism, and Post-secularism: Inner Life, Politics, and Subalternity, South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, Web accessed https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/7749 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/samaj.7749
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Dr. Sharvender

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.























