The Life and Thought of Dr B R Ambedkar in London w/ Santosh Dass MBE, Sue Donnelly, Professor William Gould & Christophe Jaffrelot

Join us for a talk with the editors and authors of the recently published book, Ambedkar in London, a rich and detailed exploration of Dr Bhimrao R. Ambedkar’s ideas around caste, law, religion, democracy and race, as developed while studying in the imperial capital.

Dr Bhimrao R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) was one of India’s greatest intellectuals and social reformers; his political ideas continue to inspire and mobilise some of the world’s poorest and most socially disadvantaged, in India and the global Indian diaspora. Ambedkar’s thought on labour, legal rights, women’s rights, education, caste, political representation and the economy are international in importance.

This book explores his lesser-known period of London-based study and publication during the early 1920s, presenting that experience as a lens for thinking about Ambedkar’s global intellectual significance. Some of his later canon on caste, and Dalit rights and representation, was rooted in and shaped by his earlier work around the economy, governance, labour and representation during his time as a law student and as a doctoral candidate at the London School of Economics.

There will also be a chance to view the bust of Ambedkar, gifted to LSE by the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK, and items from the LSE Library’ archives including Ambedkar’s student file.

About the book

Dr Bhimrao R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) was one of India’s greatest intellectuals and social reformers; his political ideas continue to inspire and mobilise some of the world’s poorest and most socially disadvantaged, in India and the global Indian diaspora. Ambedkar’s thought on labour, legal rights, women’s rights, education, caste, political representation and the economy are international in importance.

This book explores his lesser-known period of London-based study and publication during the early 1920s, presenting that experience as a lens for thinking about Ambedkar’s global intellectual significance. Some of his later canon on caste, and Dalit rights and representation, was rooted in and shaped by his earlier work around the economy, governance, labour and representation during his time as a law student and as a doctoral candidate at the London School of Economics.

The Indian diaspora in the UK is the country’s single largest national minority. This volume connects Ambedkar’s influence during his lifetime, and his legacy today, to this early phase of his career and intellectual life in London, and its immediate aftermath. It contains new material on the establishment of the city’s Ambedkar Museum, explores Britain’s Ambedkarite movement, and charts the campaign to outlaw caste discrimination in the UK.

About the speakers

Santosh Dass MBE, a former civil servant, is a human rights and equality campaigner, fighting for caste-based discrimination to be outlawed in the UK. She is Chair of the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance, and President of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK.

William Gould is Professor of Indian History at the University of Leeds, where he teaches and publishes on the history and politics of South Asia.

Christophe Jaffrelot is Avantha Chair and Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at the King’s India Institute, and Research Lead for the Global Institutes, King’s College London. He teaches at Sciences Po CERI, where he was director between 2000 and 2008.

Sue Donnelly Prior to her retirement in 2020 Sue Donnelly worked at the LSE with responsibility for the development of LSE’s institutional archive and raising awareness of the School’s unique and fascinating HISTORY. Sue studied history at Durham University and trained as an archivist at Aberystwyth University. She began her archive career at the University of Southampton and from 1998-2013 was Head of Archives and Special Collections at LSE.