Republic of Caste

Commanding in its scope, revelatory and unsparing in argument, Republic of Caste amounts to a new map of post-Independence India. Anand Teltumbde identifies the watershed moments of its journey: from the adoption of a flawed Constitution to the Green Revolution, the OBC upsurge and rise of regional parties, up to the nexus of neoliberalism and hindutva in the present day. As a politics of symbolism exploits the fissile nature of caste to devitalise India’s poorest, Teltumbde’s damning analysis shows progressive politics a way out of the present impasse.

 

Anand Teltumbde is a civil rights activist and writer. Among his many books are Dalits: Past, Present and Future, Mahad: The Making of the First Dalit Revolt and The Persistence of Caste: The Khairlanji Murders and India’s Hidden Apartheid. He was arrested on 14 April 2020 under the lawless law UAPA. To know the real Anand Teltumbde and the range of his work, see this website.

 

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In the Media

Republic Of Caste establishes Teltumbde as the cerebral annihilator of what he calls “the perfect design of the most exploitative and longest surviving man-made system in the world”. Ambedkar prescribed “dynamiting the dharmashastras” that he believed taught Hindus “the religion of caste”. In his writing and activism, Teltumbde has embraced the task.—liveMint

Anand Teltumbde urges dalits to sit up and rethink the logic of representation that has been the pivot of their movement since Independence.—Business Line

Ambedkar knew the importance of land in the emancipation of dalits, but he also knew it would not be easy to secure it for them, writes Anand Teltumbde in a new book titled ‘Republic of Caste: Thinking Equality in the Time of Neoliberal Hindutva’.—from an excerpt in The Print

Anand Teltumbde—whose residence in Goa was among those listed for raids by the Pune Police—discusses how the Indian government’s approach to Maoist rebels is marked by a fear of the “grass-roots level dissent” that it represents.—from an excerpt in Caravan Magazine

A handy critical guidebook on Ambedkar’s vision, which has been distorted over the years.—The Hindu

Teltumbde explores the marginalisation and disempowerment of Dalits by training a critical lens on the Constitution, Hindutva forces and the very concept of a republic.—from an interview in Scroll.in

A clear perspective flows through the book, it has a sense of purpose and politics.—The Indian Express

Teltumbde discloses interesting intersections between events and movements, which often go unnoticed by experts.—Frontline

We can learn more from Teltumbde than from a dozen scholars combined.—Outlook

This book is a powerful argument against viewing caste as a benign institution or as having redeeming facets or as withering away with modernity.—EPW

Without the annihilation of caste, there can be no revolution in India, and at the same time, without a revolution there can be no annihilation of caste. —from an excerpt in the Huffington Post