20, April 2025

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Feminist Praxis: Caste, Gender, and Widow Remarriage

VOLUME-9; ISSUE-4; APR-2025

Author(s): Dr. A. Arunkumar

Authors Affiliations:

Guest Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University of Madras, Chennai-05.

DOIs:10.2017/IJRCS/202504009     |     Paper ID: IJRCS202504009


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Abstract:    Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s feminist praxis represents a revolutionary intersectional framework that linked caste annihilation with gender justice, exposing how Brahmanical patriarchy weaponized widowhood to enforce caste hierarchies. This article examines his advocacy for widow remarriage as a radical intervention against Hindu socio-religious norms that stigmatized widows as "surplus women," arguing that his efforts transcended legal reform to dismantle the epistemic violence of texts like Manusmriti . Drawing from his 1916 essay Castes in India, the paper analyzes how Ambedkar theorized prohibitions on widow remarriage as a mechanism to preserve caste endogamy by controlling female sexuality and preventing inter-caste unions.      
Key Words:  Feminist, Castes , Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s, sexuality.

Dr. A. Arunkumar(2025); Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Feminist Praxis: Caste, Gender, and Widow Remarriage, International Journal of Research Culture Society,    ISSN(O): 2456-6683,  Volume – 9,   Issue –  4,  Pp.45-47.        Available on – https://ijrcs.org/

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2.       Desai AR(2000) Social Background of Indian Nationalism. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan.

3.       Arya S. (2000.)Women, Gender Equality, and the State. New Delhi: Deep and Deep Publications.

4.       Ambedkar BR. (1946) The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables? In: Ambedkar BR, editor. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches. Government of Maharashtra.

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