Research Radio Bonus Episode: Revisiting Jotirao Phule’s Theory and Practice That Challenge Brahminism

"Hindu culture and the caste system," writes Gail Omvedt in her EPW article on Jotirao Phule in 1971 "rested upon Brahmanism; hence Phule, who aimed for the complete destruction of caste, superstition and inequality within Indian tradition, linked his thought with a movement of opposition to the Brahman elite." On Phule’s birth anniversary, we’ll discuss his writing on caste, class, and gender relations in South Asia and importantly, the methods he used to counter Brahmanism and patriarchy in collaboration with his co-traveller and wife Savitribai Phule.

Tejas Harad joins us on Research Radio to discuss his engagement and research primarily on Jotirao Phule. Tejas has worked at EPW since 2013 as a copy-editor and regularly contributes to multiple news publications in his individual capacity. We will also partially focus on Savitribai Phule, but this episode does not cover the depth of her work. Last year, Tejas started a bilingual journal called the Satyashodhak to make the Satyashodhak Samaj archive more accessible to people but the portal's focus is not limited to that.

A few articles on the Jotirao Phule and related topics:

• Jotirao Phule and the Ideology of Social Revolution in India, Gail Omvedt, 1971
• Education as Trutiya Ratna: Towards Phule-Ambedkarite Feminist Pedagogical Practice, Sharmila Rege, 2010
• Liberating Jyotiba Phule, Gopal Guru, 2003
• Remembering Jotiba Phule, the Mahatma Who Fought Against Brahmin Hegemony, Tejas Harad, 2018
• Varna system in the Dharmasutras, Tejas Harad, 2020

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