The Ambedkar Reading Circle at Jindal Global Law School and Centre for Justice, Law and Society (CJLS) are organising a fortnightly guided reading circle around some critical works of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar led by Prof. Jadumani Mahanand.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is not only one of the most important voices on law, politics, and society but his radical thinking and practice make him particularly relevant for the contemporary. By attending to his life and works with care and regard, we aim to reflect on questions that affect us deeply today - how can we imagine the annihilation of caste in our pursuit of justice? What relation between the Constitution and minorities could best address the impasse of our times? How should we protect the many languages that make our democracy possible?

Every second week starting February 27th, we shall gather to discuss a text of Dr. Ambedkar and work through our thoughts and feelings. While it is preferred to register on the link below for the circle, feel free to walk in on the day.

Register to join in the conversation and receive regular updates: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoKaU6t7diLGWt3DuB0wc1ZRXe7oTgGsmFc2Qb6XKwEGxyhA/viewform?usp=sharing

We began the first session with a close reading of the iconic speech by Dr. Ambedkar, ‘Annihilation of Caste.’ In our second reading group, we read ‘States and Minorities,’ regarded as the preamble of Dr. Ambedkar’s movement in political democracy. In our third reading group, we will be discussing ‘Buddha or Karl Marx,’ in which Dr. Ambedkar stages a dialogue between these two philosophers and argues for their relevance to the modern world.

Time: 1st April, Tuesday, 1:30pm- 3:30pm
Venue: Big Bang Conference Room, T1 Academic Block

Please find the text here: http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/20.Buddha%20or%20Karl%20Marx.htm

Prof. Jadumani Mahanand has offered the following prompts to guide our reading of the text but feel free to bring the questions that animate you to the gathering.

• How does Dr. Ambedkar read an ancient philosopher, Buddha, along with the modern philosophy of Karl Marx?
• How did the two philosophers understand suffering and exploitation and their root causes?
• Is it possible to read Buddha and Marx together without erasing their primary concerns?
• How does Dr. Ambedkar decide between Buddha and Karl Marx and what does that choice tell us about how Dr. Ambedkar understood human nature, society, and liberation?

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