Annihilation of caste
by B. R. Ambedkar, S. Anand, Arundhati Roy, Bhimrao Ambedkar · first published 1937
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Why HN recommends it
A sharp critique of the caste system and how scripture and priestly power kept the majority uneducated and controlled; recommended for anyone wanting a foundational argument on caste, especially people of privilege.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"A new annotated critical edition of B.R. Ambedkar's speech "Annihilation of Caste.""--
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…very very quickly. Love marriages are quite deadly and parents killing their own children and the lower caste grooms are extremely common. You can search for "honour killings in India". Please read "Annihilation of Caste" by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Its around 50 pages of an undelivered speech, later published. If you want to learn about caste, please make sure not to ask for explanations from an upper caste person. This is…
on “Google cancelled a talk on caste bias” ↗If anyone is looking to understand more about the Gandhi phenomenon, I recently read (and highly recommend) Arundhati Roy's meticulously referenced introduction to "Annihilation of Caste". She does a terrific job of identifying the motivations of Gandhi and his supporters https://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-Caste-Annotated-B-R-Ambe...
on “Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny” ↗I think everyone should go read Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste, particularly Brahmins. It’s important for people of privilege to read his work, in the same way that it’s important for white people in the US to read Malcolm X’s autobiography. It will probably make…
on “Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system” ↗There’s a difference between casteism and jātivada which is not easy to explain in a short comment. Ambedkar’s “ Annihilation of Caste” and A.M. Hocart’s works provide interesting insight on it.
on “How to live an intellectually rich life” ↗