EU Horizon2020 MSCA-IF Project Launch (Online)
Freedom from Caste:
The Political Thought of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy in a Global Context
On: Wednesday, 11 November 2020.
At: 12.30-1.30 GMT
The Horizon2020 Marie Sklowdowska Curie Actions – Independent Fellowship project at the University of Wolverhampton (UoW) is a two-year project aiming to provide a systematized and critical account of the political thought of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy (1879-1973), a key leader of the Dravidian Movement in South India and champion of anti-casteism and women’s liberation.
The MSCA Research Fellowship is awarded to Dr Karthick Ram Manoharan for working under the supervision of Professor Meena Dhanda from 1 October 2020 – 30 September 2022. Taking an unprecedented interdisciplinary approach, this research engages with the totality of the primary works of Periyar spanning over five decades. The launch of the project will shed light on the relevance of Periyar’s thoughts to global intellectual conversations on identity, feminism and social justice. The project will augment the work done in UoW on the philosophical foundations of anti-casteism through a comparative, interdisciplinary juxtaposition of Periyar’s works with radical Western philosophers, political theorists and feminists.
Speakers:
Miceál Barden, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences, UoW.
Meena Dhanda, Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Politics, UoW.
Suraj Yengde, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School.
Ram Mahalingam, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan.
Karthick Ram Manoharan, MSCA Research Fellow, UoW.
Manoharan is the author of Frantz Fanon: Identity and Resistance (Orient BlackSwan 2019), co-editor of Rethinking Social Justice (Orient BlackSwan 2020) and has written extensively on Periyar’s thoughts. Professor Meena Dhanda leads the research group Language, Power and Society (CTTR) and in the Periyar project builds on research undertaken as PI of a multi-disciplinary project 'Caste in Britain' funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, UK.
Note: To receive a ZOOM link to the launch event please REGISTER on Eventbrite.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/freedom-from-caste-inaugural-event-for-eu-h2020-funded-research-project-tickets-127785629257
As a person who was brought up in a religious household and a religious country (india) he was a voice that helped me understand how i was feeling in my life about religion. (this was 23 years ago, when I had no access to the internet or anyone to talk to who was non-religious or willing to listen.) So i had to read abt him in books.
I was just curious if anyone knew who he was outside of my home state or country for that fact.
Edit: he also was extremely against casteism and brought in education for everyone and advocated for gender equality. He was a big player in my home state's politics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_E._V._Ramasamy
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar also referred as E. V. R. or Thanthai Periyar, was a social activist, and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.
E.V. Ramasamy propagated the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and eradication of caste. He opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin Dravidian people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India.
See other Wikipedia Page of the Day posts on /r/IndiaNews .
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar, also referred to as Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist, and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'Father of Dravidian Movement'. He has done exemplary works against Brahminical dominance, caste prevalence and women oppression in Tamil Nadu.
E.V. Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress in 1919, but resigned in 1925 when he felt that the party was only serving the interests of Brahmins. He questioned the subjugation of non-Brahmin Dravidians as Brahmins enjoyed gifts and donations from non-Brahmins but opposed and discriminated non-Brahmins in cultural and religious matters. In 1924, E.V. Ramasamy participated in a non-violent agitation (satyagraha) in Vaikom, Kerala. From 1929 to 1932 Ramasamy made a tour of British Malaya, Europe, and Russia which influenced him.[how?] In 1939, E.V. Ramasamy became the head of the Justice Party, and in 1944, he changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam. The party later split with one group led by C. N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949. While continuing the Self-Respect Movement, he advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu (land of the Dravidians).
E.V. Ramasamy promoted the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and eradication of caste. He opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin Dravidian people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India.
See other Wikipedia Page of the Day posts on /r/IndiaNews .
In this climate of saffronization and identity politics, I wish we had someone like him to guide us. DAE feel the same way? If you don't know who he is, I highly recommend you read about him. He's probably the most respectable person that I have read about.
Does anyone know where I can purchase this book that SHIPS to North America?
Collected Works of Periyar:
http://www.amazon.in/COLLECTED-WORKS-PERIYAR-THANTHAI-E-V-RAMASAMY/dp/9380826435/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435803939&sr=1-2
Biography:
http://www.amazon.in/Periyar-Political-Biography-E-V-Ramasamy/dp/8129123851/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RBYYW4YTSSTCBQNBEYD
I'm intensely interested in reading Periyar (I am a philosophy student), but none of the places I've seen ships to Canada... I'm wondering if anyone knows of a place? The main Periyar publishing house doesn't seem to ship anywhere either.
If no place does, could someone be up for mailing it to me? I would of course, pay for all costs...
Thanks!
A Tamil/Dravidian Nationalist. His Self-Respect Movement found measurable support among the Dravidian People of South India. His ideology called for total equality between all people of the world, regardless of caste, religion, or ethnicity. This also meant he was strongly anti-brahmanist, due to their inherent role in the caste system, and anti-home rule because of its foundation in the thought that India was a homogeneous nation, something highly opposed by educated Tamils and to some extent Dravidians as a whole.
I plan on trying to take control of the justice party earlier, gaining support from the non-Tamil Dravidians, and trying to find more global support for the formation of Dravida Nadu .
In the Indian subcontinent many served for the welfare of the society in various levels, but in certain circumstances or in situation they compromised themselves for right or wrong and to it no one is exemption to it. In the Indian social and the political history there are two visionary leaders that never compromised themselves from their doctrines, ideologies,thoughts and the goal and those two leaders are none other than and Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, the father of the Indian constitution and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy .
If anyone read the biography and the history of the social political arena of Eve.Ramasamy and Dr.B.R.Ambedkar can come to this point. There is a statement that ‘great mind thinks alike ‘and it is absolutely correct as far as Periyar Eve. Ramasamy and Dr.B.R.Ambedkar are concerned. Both of these great leaders had many similarities between them for the welfare of the society especially to wage the war against the untouchability and to eradicate it from the Indian orthodox soil ,Both Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy are not an ordinary persons and both are the prophets too.When a certain section of people were thinking and accepting that the karma and the dharma are the part of the religions Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy that they thought that caste system is the root for the all evil in the society and unless until eradicate the caste system from the society the sudras and the dalit can’t ascend to the ladder of the social and the economic.Before Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy and about 3000 years the society were thinking that the caste system as the basis order and the part of the society, but these two great visionary leaders took all level steps to break this stigma and also found victory in it.
These two great visionary reformers thought that the caste system that divided the Indian society in to four main division apart from dalits s as Brahmins, Kshatriyas,vaishyas and Sutras .Before Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy people were thinking that the order is a divine one and it is made by the God of creation and we can’t overcome it and however to live under this clutches generation by generation till our death. As I cited above that ‘great men think alike’ both Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Periyar Eve.Ramasamy found the root cause of the dalit and sutras downs and came to the conclusion that it is nothing but the religion that safeguard the certain section of the people and it also done by them to their surviv
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Many people are pissed at Periyar for a variety of reasons. I am not going to argue on those today.
One simple question.
If anybody can help me here - Periyar never ruled the country or a state - but Modi has ruled at 8 years now without even meeting the press. And he was the CM of Gujarat too. Only thing I want to ask is - Give me two Progressive ideas that Modi gave in all of his political career. Just two! Please!
For starters on Progressive ideas as quotes - from Periyar’s list:
"There is no god, there is no god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian." ~ Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
"Wisdom lies in thinking. The spear-head of thinking is rationalism." ~ Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Edit: Folks. I have a lot of hope in you all. Please let us have a civil proper ideology based discussion. Do not bring Bhakt talking points. They are mostly lies.
[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_E._V._Ramasamy)
Erode Venkata Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), affectionately called by his followers as Periyar, Thanthai Periyar or E. V. R., was a social activist, politician and businessman, who started the Self-Respect Movement or the Dravidian Movement and proposed the creation of an independent state called Dravida Nadu, comprising the states of South India. He is also the founder of political party, Dravidar Kazhagam
See other Wikipedia Page of the Day posts on /r/IndiaNews
