Ambedkar in 2021, Episode 3: Probing Caste Violence at the Visible, Symbolic, and Structural Levels

In this episode, we speak to Parthasarathi Muthukkaruppan about the everyday aspects of caste violence and cultural modes of opposing subordination.

What are the implications of studying Dr Ambedkar’s texts in an Indian public university? What are the multiple forms of violence that caste thrives on, and how are these contested? What is the importance of naming, particularly the use of the terms "Harijan," "Scheduled Caste" and "Dalit"?

These are a few of the questions that Parthasarathi Muthukkaruppan explores on this week's episode of Research Radio. Dr Muthukkaruppan teaches in the Department of Cultural Studies, English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. His research interests include cultural theory, literature, cinema, visual culture and continental philosophy.

We’ll discuss his EPW article “Paramakudi Violence: Against Dalits, Against Politics." We will also explore his articles “Critique of Caste Violence” and “Dalit: the making of a political subject” published in Social Scientist and Critical Quarterly respectively.