B R Ambedkar on caste and land relations in India

Awanish Kumar*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Ambedkar identified the land monopoly of caste Hindus in village society as the material basis of the caste system. The land question for Dalits is concerned with human dignity, with freedom from bondage and caste-based exploitation in village society. Ambedkar was critical of mainstream land reforms discourse for its disregard of the interests of the mass of landless Dalits, and its focus on the creation of peasant proprietors, which, he argued, was counterproductive for the agricultural development of India. Ambedkar advocated the annihilation of caste, the liberation of peasants and workers through modernisation of the economy, and the distribution of cultivable land to Dalits. Ambedkar’s was a modern approach to the agrarian problem in that it called for a complete break with existing and archaic institutional structures.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37-56
Number of pages19
JournalReview of Agrarian Studies
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • agrarian relations
  • Ambedkar
  • caste system
  • village society
  • democracy
  • land reforms
  • landless labour

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'B R Ambedkar on caste and land relations in India'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this