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"'We Were Always Buddhist:' Dalit Historiography and the Temporality of Caste." A talk by Lucinda E.G. Ramberg

March 16, 2021

4:00 pm

Please join us for an invited talk by Prof. Lucinda Ramberg, generously co-sponsored by the Departments of Asian Studies, History and Philosophy; the South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Religious Studies Programs; and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. The event is open to all interested, and special accommodations can be made for access upon request.

In 1956 anti-caste philosopher and statesman Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called upon his followers to convert to Buddhism as the equalitarian religion of the original inhabitants of the subcontinent. Drawing on ethnographic research, Prof. Ramberg reflects on the relationship present day Ambedkarites have to the history of ancient Buddhism. She elaborates the implications of statements by Ambedkarite Buddhists such as “we are remembering who we are” and reclaiming “our forbidden history” for the temporality of caste in relation to the politics of archaeology, gender, and history.

Lucinda Ramberg is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Cornell University. Her research projects in South India have roots in longstanding engagements with the politics of sexuality, gender and religion. Her first book, Given to the Goddess: South Indian Devadasis and the Sexuality of Religion (Duke University Press 2014) explores the possibilities of vernacular religion as gendered world making and caste critique. Her current book project turns to the revival of Buddhism in South India and questions of religious conversion in relation to projects of caste radicalism, social transformation, and sexual politics. She is a 2020 Research Fellow, The ACLS/ Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation in Buddhist Studies.

Due to COVID-era regulations, all attendees are required to register for this event here: http://cglink.me/2ee/r992603

Upon registration you should receive an automated email with the Zoom link. If for any reason you do not receive this email, please contact Bruno at bms297@cornell.edu.

Additional Information

Program

East Asia Program

Southeast Asia Program

South Asia Program