The Political Philosophies of Antonio Gramsci and BR Ambedkar

265 Pages·2013·1.79 MB·English

by  Cosimo Zene

The Political Philosophies of Antonio
Gramsci and B.R. Ambedkar
Bridging two generations of scholarship on social inequality and modern polit-
ical forms, this book examines the political philosophies of inclusion of subal-
terns/Dalits in Gramsci’s and Ambedkar’s political philosophies. It highlights
the full range of Gramsci’s ‘philosophy of praxis’ and presents a more critical
appreciation of his thought in the study of South Asian societies. Equally,
Ambedkar’s thought and philosophy is put to the forefront and acquires a promi-
nence in the international context.
Overcoming geographical, cultural and disciplinary boundaries, the book
gives relevance to the subalterns. Following the lead of Gramsci and Ambedkar,
the contributors are committed, apart from underscoring the historical roots of
subalternity, to uncovering the subalterns’ presence in social, economic, cultural,
educational, literary, legal and religious grounds. The book offers a renewed crit-
ical approach to Gramsci and Ambedkar and expands on their findings in order
to offer a present-d ay political focus into one of the most crucial themes of con-
temporary society.
This book is of interest to an interdisciplinary audience, including political
theory, post-c olonial studies, subaltern studies, comparative political philosophy,
Dalit studies, cultural studies, South Asian studies and the study of religions.
Cosimo Zene is Head of Department in the Study of Religions Department
at SOAS, University of London, UK. His publications include The Rishi of
Bangladesh (RoutledgeCurzon, 2002) and a special issue of Culture and Reli-
gion on ‘Religion in Gramsci’ (Taylor & Francis, forthcoming).
Routledge advances in South Asian studies
Edited by Subrata K. Mitra
South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany
South Asia, with its burgeoning, ethnically diverse population, soaring eco-
nomies, and nuclear weapons, is an increasingly important region in the global
context. The series, which builds on this complex, dynamic and volatile area,
features innovative and original research on the region as a whole or on the
countries. Its scope extends to scholarly works drawing on history, politics,
development studies, sociology and economics of individual countries from the
region as well those that take an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to
the area as a whole or to a comparison of two or more countries from this
region. In terms of theory and method, rather than basing itself on any one
orthodoxy, the series draws broadly on the insights germane to area studies, as
well as the tool kit of the social sciences in general, emphasizing comparison,
the analysis of the structure and processes, and the application of qualitative
and quantitative methods. The series welcomes submissions from established
authors in the field as well as from young authors who have recently completed
their doctoral dissertations.
1 Perception, Politics and Security in South Asia
The compound crisis of 1990
P. R. Chari, Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema and Stephen Philip Cohen
2 Coalition Politics and Hindu Nationalism
Edited by Katharine Adeney and Lawrence Saez
3 The Puzzle of India’s Governance
Culture, context and comparative theory
Subrata K. Mitra
4 India’s Nuclear Bomb and National Security
Karsten Frey
5 Starvation and India’s Democracy
Dan Banik
6 Parliamentary Control and Government Accountability in South Asia
A comparative analysis of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka
Taiabur Rahman
7 Political Mobilisation and Democracy in India
States of emergency
Vernon Hewitt
8 Military Control in Pakistan
The parallel state
Mazhar Aziz
9 Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age
Giorgio Shani
10 The Tibetan Government- in-Exile
Politics at large
Stephanie Roemer
11 Trade Policy, Inequality and Performance in Indian Manufacturing
Kunal Sen
12 Democracy and Party Systems in Developing Countries
A comparative study
Clemens Spiess
13 War and Nationalism in South Asia
The Indian state and the Nagas
Marcus Franke
14 The Politics of Social Exclusion in India
Democracy at the crossroads
Edited by Harihar Bhattacharyya, Partha Sarka and Angshuman Kar
15 Party System Change in South India
Political entrepreneurs, patterns and processes
Andrew Wyatt
16 Dispossession and Resistance in India
The river and the rage
Alf Gunvald Nilsen
17 The Construction of History and Nationalism in India
Textbooks, controversies and politics
Sylvie Guichard
18 Political Survival in Pakistan
Beyond ideology
Anas Malik
19 New Cultural Identitarian Political Movements in Developing Societies
The Bharatiya Janata party
Sebastian Schwecke
20 Sufism and Saint Veneration in Contemporary Bangladesh
The Maijbhandaris of Chittagong
Hans Harder
21 New Dimensions of Politics in India
The united progressive alliance in power
Lawrence Saez and Gurhapal Singh
22 Vision and Strategy in Indian Politics
Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy choices and the designing of political institutions
Jivanta Schoettli
23 Decentralization, Local Governance, and Social Wellbeing in India
Do local governments matter?
Rani D. Mullen
24 The Politics of Refugees in South Asia
Identity, resistance, manipulation
Navine Murshid
25 The Political Philosophies of Antonio Gramsci and B.R. Ambedkar
Itineraries of Dalits and subalterns
Edited by Cosimo Zene
The Political Philosophies of
Antonio Gramsci and
B.R. Ambedkar
Itineraries of Dalits and subalterns
Edited by Cosimo Zene
First published 2013
by Routledge
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© 2013 Cosimo Zene
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material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The political philosophies of Antonio Gramsci and Ambedkar : subalterns
and dalits / edited by Cosimo Zene.
pages cm. – (Routledge advances in South Asian studies ; 25)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Ambedkar, B. R. (Bhimrao Ramji), 1891–1956. 2. Gramsci, Antonio,
1891–1937. 3. Political science–Philosophy. 4. Social integration–
Philosophy. 5. Equality–Philosophy. I. Zene, Cosimo.
B65.P58 2013
320.092'2–dc23
2013017245
ISBN: 978-0-415-70446-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-76203-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Times
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Educate yourselves because we’ll need all your intelligence. Rouse yourselves
because we need all your enthusiasm. Organise yourselves because we need all
your strength.
The intellectual’s error consists in the belief that it is possible to know without
understanding and above all without feeling or being passionate . . . that is, the
intellectual can be considered as such if distinct and detached from the people-
nation, i.e. without sharing the elementary feelings of the people, understanding
them, and then explaining and justifying them within a given historical situation,
and linking them dialectically to the laws of history. . . . Without this passion –
this sentimental connection between intellectuals and people-n ation – politics-
history cannot be achieved.
Antonio Gramsci
Educate, Organise, Agitate!
It is not true that entry into Hindu temples will solve your whole problem. Our
problem is very broad. It extends into the political, social, religious and economic
spheres. Today’s satyagraha is a challenge to the Hindu mind. From this true
satyagraha we shall see whether Hindu society is ready to treat us as human
beings.
It might have been thought that the principle of equal justice would strike a
death blow to the established order. As a matter of fact, far from suffering any
damage, the established order has continued to operate. It might be asked why
the principle of equal justice has failed to have its effect. The answer to this is
simple. To enunciate the principle of justice is one thing. To make it effective is
another thing . . .
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
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Contents
List of contributors xii
Preface and acknowledgements xvi
Editorial note xxi
1 Subalterns and Dalits in Gramsci and Ambedkar: a
prologue to a ‘posthumous’ dialogue 1
COSIMO ZENE
PART I
The emergence of subaltern/Dalit subjectivity and
historical agency 33
2 Subaltern social groups in Antonio Gramsci’s Prison
Notebooks 35
JOSEPH A. BUTTIGIEG
3 Revisiting interwar thought: stigma, labor, and the
immanence of caste- class 43
ANUPAMA RAO
4 The other prince: Ambedkar, constitutional democracy, and
the agency of the law 59
JON SOSKE
PART II
The function of intellectuals 73
5 Notes on Q6§32: Gramsci and the Dalits 75
ROBERTO DAINOTTO