Ambedkar and Ambedkarites Beyond India
Venue
Violet Laidlaw Room, Chrystal Macmillan BuildingDescription
Dr Upali Sraman, Divinity, University of Edinburgh and Dr Jon Keune, Religious Studies, Michigan State University will present on 'Ambedkar and Ambedkarites Beyond India'.
The session will be chaired by Prof. Hugo Gorringe, Sociology, University of Edinburgh.
Since the 1990s, the influence and image of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar has spread widely across India due to political organizations, popular fervor, and academic discussion. Less well known is his reception outside India. The two speakers in this presentation address this phenomenon in different ways. Dr. Upali Sraman assesses perceptions of Ambedkarites by Buddhists in Bangladesh, and Dr. Jon Keune describes the scope of Ambedkarite Buddhist migration across the globe. Together, they explore how Ambedkarite thought and communities are becoming situated transnationally, in places where Dr. Ambedkar's critical occupation with caste resonates differently than in India.
Key speakers
- Dr Upali Sraman, University of Edinburgh
- Dr Jon Keune, Michigan State University