• The word ‘subaltern’ refers to subordination in terms of caste, class, age, gender, office, etc., and includes elements of both defiance and submission.
• It conveys a ‘view from below’, representing knowledge or perspectives from the bottom of society.
• Populist discourse is associated with the masses or people (Laclau, 1979).
• Ideology should not only be viewed through the dialectical tension between people and classes but also within a composite world view, addressing issues like self vs. society, transcendence vs. secularism, and unity vs. diversity.
• The relationship between ideas and social forces in history is evaluated through forms and content, which are shaped by specific societies.
• Knowledge is a construction of cognitive consciousness that can detach from socially-induced consciousness.
• This perspective is important for studying the tribal peasant movement, highlighting the politics of the masses versus elite politics.
• Subaltern historiography aims to reconstruct the history of people’s politics and movements, emphasizing their role as makers of their own history.
• The focus is on peasant and tribal insurgents as subjects of history, not just as objects.
• The approach advocates for a transformative consciousness in these groups, with a coherent resistance against rich peasants, urban traders, or colonial administrators.
• Key proponents of this perspective in India include David Hardiman, B.R. Ambedkar, Ranajit Guha, Kapil Kumar, and others.
• Subalternists critique nationalist and elitist historiographies for failing to include the voices of the weak in history.
• They emphasize the insurrectionary activities and potential of the subaltern classes (e.g., artisans, poor peasants, landless laborers, tribals) and their resistance.

B.R. Ambedkar

• Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on 14th April, 1891 in Mhow Cantt, near Indore, in the Mahar caste, an untouchable caste in Maharashtra.
• His birth name was Bhim Sakpal.
• His father, Ramji Sakpal, was a follower of Saint Kabir and did not believe in caste.
• Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with 5 lakh people on 14th October, 1956 in a historic congregation at Nagpur.
• He completed High School in Satara, Maharashtra, in 1907.
• He was admitted to Elphinstone College, Bombay, and received a Gayakwad scholarship from Maharaja Gayakwad of Baroda for his studies.
• The scholarship helped him gain admission to Columbia University, USA, where he completed his M.A. in 1915.
• Ambedkar was the first Indian among untouchables to study abroad.
• He earned his PhD from Columbia University in 1917.
• In 1916, after submitting his PhD thesis, he went to London to study law and also enrolled at the London School of Economics and Political Science to study economics.
• In 1921, he received a Master of Science and PhD from London University for his thesis on “The Problem of the Rupee”.
• He simultaneously completed his Bar at Law.
• In 1923, Ambedkar began practicing law and worked for the upliftment of Dalits and the poor.
• In 1930, he became the president of the All India Depressed Class Association.
• In 1936, he founded the Independent Labour Party, which later became the All India Scheduled Castes Federation.
• On 7th August, 1942, Ambedkar joined the Council for Governor General.
• He chaired the drafting of the Constitution of India.
• On 3rd August, 1949, he took office as Law Minister in the Government of India.
• In 1955, he founded the Bharatiya Buddha Mahasabha.
• Ambedkar consistently criticized the Hindu religion for denying honor to the depressed class, as reflected in his writings and actions.

Writings of Ambedkar

1. The Untouchables, Who are they?
2. Who were the Shudra?
3. States and Minorities
4. Emancipation of the Untouchables
5. Annihilation of Caste