Decoding Ambedkar: Ideas of Nation and Nation Building

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Thursday, May 29, 2025 | 3pm to 4:30pm

25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan

In Decoding Ambedkar, Prof. Vivek Kumar re-examines Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vast intellectual contributions, challenging his reductive portrayal in Indian academia and media. It contrasts his domestic erasure with the significant global recognition of his ideas on society, politics, and justice. By analyzing his unique theories on the Hindu social order and his engagement with diverse thinkers, the book asserts Ambedkar’s crucial role as a pioneer in Indian sociology, demonstrating the capacity of Dalit intellectuals to develop profound theoretical frameworks.

Purchase Book: https://a.co/d/7KsyzsT

Author Bio

Vivek Kumar is a Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he previously chaired the Centre for the Study of Social Systems. He holds the Ambedkar Chair Professorship and has convened JNU's Global Studies Program. A former Fulbright Teacher's Fellow, he was a visiting Associate Professor at Columbia University, and also a visiting faculty at Humboldt University as a DAAD-UGC Fellow. His notable publications include Caste and Democracy in India and India's Roaring Revolution, alongside influential articles such as 'How Egalitarian is Indian Sociology?'.