"B. R. Ambedkar and his Dhamma: The Prehistory of Buddhism as a Liberation Theology in India, c 1890-195' talk by Ms. Gitanjali Surendran at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 21st February 2013
Time : 3:00 pm
Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)
Place : Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi
Venue Info : Events | About | Map | Nearest Metro Station - 'Race Course(Yellow Line)'
Event Description : Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cordially invites you to 'B. R. Ambedkar and his Dhamma: The Prehistory of Buddhism as a Liberation Theology in India, c 1890-195' talk by Ms. Gitanjali Surendran, Harvard University, USA.
Abstract : Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s famous conversion in 1956 is often seen as ushering in a new era of Buddhism in India. I would like to argue that his choice of Buddhism be seen in the background of a veritable Buddhist renaissance stretching back atleast 50 years in which educated Indians around colonial India debated the efficacies of Buddhist revival for modern India. Two intertwined histories of modern Indian Buddhism emerged in this period. The first was the more liberal strand that upheld Buddhism as an ancient Buddhist faith that preached modern liberal values long before the dawn of modernity. The other was a more radical strand that saw in Buddhism the possibility of revolutionary uplift for the most disenfranchised communities in Hindu society i.e. the lower castes and outcastes or the Scheduled Castes as they came to be called. Dr. Ambedkar’s conversion drew these two strands together in a radical move that I argue sought not only to fight the semiotic dominance of upper castes and give the Scheduled Castes a new and proud identity, but also to ensure that the entire national community would be based on the democratic principles of liberty, equality and fraternity that were so dear to him. In other words, he sought to fashion Buddhism into a liberation theology not only for the Scheduled Castes but also for the nation itself. In so doing, he drew on a rich history of intellectual exchange around Buddhism already in existence for the previous half century while putting his own signature spin on the history of modern Buddhism in India.
Speaker : Gitanjali Surendran is completing her doctoral dissertation on modern Buddhist revival in India, c 1890-1956 at Harvard University’s History Department. She has Masters’ degrees in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University (2002), Oxford University (2003) and Harvard University (2008).
Related Events : Talks
Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)
Place : Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi
Venue Info : Events | About | Map | Nearest Metro Station - 'Race Course(Yellow Line)'
Event Description : Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cordially invites you to 'B. R. Ambedkar and his Dhamma: The Prehistory of Buddhism as a Liberation Theology in India, c 1890-195' talk by Ms. Gitanjali Surendran, Harvard University, USA.
Abstract : Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s famous conversion in 1956 is often seen as ushering in a new era of Buddhism in India. I would like to argue that his choice of Buddhism be seen in the background of a veritable Buddhist renaissance stretching back atleast 50 years in which educated Indians around colonial India debated the efficacies of Buddhist revival for modern India. Two intertwined histories of modern Indian Buddhism emerged in this period. The first was the more liberal strand that upheld Buddhism as an ancient Buddhist faith that preached modern liberal values long before the dawn of modernity. The other was a more radical strand that saw in Buddhism the possibility of revolutionary uplift for the most disenfranchised communities in Hindu society i.e. the lower castes and outcastes or the Scheduled Castes as they came to be called. Dr. Ambedkar’s conversion drew these two strands together in a radical move that I argue sought not only to fight the semiotic dominance of upper castes and give the Scheduled Castes a new and proud identity, but also to ensure that the entire national community would be based on the democratic principles of liberty, equality and fraternity that were so dear to him. In other words, he sought to fashion Buddhism into a liberation theology not only for the Scheduled Castes but also for the nation itself. In so doing, he drew on a rich history of intellectual exchange around Buddhism already in existence for the previous half century while putting his own signature spin on the history of modern Buddhism in India.
Speaker : Gitanjali Surendran is completing her doctoral dissertation on modern Buddhist revival in India, c 1890-1956 at Harvard University’s History Department. She has Masters’ degrees in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University (2002), Oxford University (2003) and Harvard University (2008).
Related Events : Talks
"B. R. Ambedkar and his Dhamma: The Prehistory of Buddhism as a Liberation Theology in India, c 1890-195' talk by Ms. Gitanjali Surendran at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 21st February 2013
!["B. R. Ambedkar and his Dhamma: The Prehistory of Buddhism as a Liberation Theology in India, c 1890-195' talk by Ms. Gitanjali Surendran at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 21st February 2013]()
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
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