Ambedkar in London

 Ambedkar is one of India's most significant legal and political scholars, and an icon of social transformation. A member of the historically oppressed Dalit castes, at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, he surmounted incredible challenges to achieve education, then higher education, and then political power. He is best known for the vital role he played in drafting India's Constitution (as a qualified lawyer, and also a well-regarded economist). Many know of Gandhi; not as many know of Ambedkar outside in India, and particularly of Ambedkar's criticism of Gandhi for his failure to tackle caste discrimination coherently. To many belonging to the oppressed castes, he is known affectionately as ‘Baba Sahib' - a term of respect and endearment. Columbia University in the US has a significant Ambedkar archive, because he studied there, and was a student of John Dewey, who influenced him greatly. His work in the US, therefore, is comparatively better documented, including his correspondence with civil rights activists there, and their common understanding of the situation of oppressed castes and Black people across nations. But, he also studied in London, at the London School of Economics, later joining the Bar, and building support for his activism. This book fills a vital gap in the Ambedkar canon by examining his time in London, his work as a lawyer, and the society he lived in. It's an edited volume, consisting of chapters by various scholars. 

The last few years have seen a resurgence of Ambedkar scholarship. I made a list of ten books recently released that I wanted to read, and this is the first one. I think it's a great collection. The first three chapters study his time at LSE: the curriculum he covered, his contemporaries and friends, and his legal education at Gray's Inn. The next two cover his involvement in political efforts towards independence in the 1920s, engaging in the round table debates that brought India partial franchise at this time, under colonial rule and his particular advocacy for representation for the Dalits. Jaffrelot's chapter in particular, is really good: he examines how Ambedkar went from seeking reform in the Hindu religion to rejecting it altogether on the basis of caste. Ambedkar later converted to Buddhism, and even today it is not uncommon for Dalits to engage in conversion en masse, in response to ongoing caste violence. The second half of the book is really new material, documenting his engagement with international activists.