The Marked Subject: B R Ambedkar and a Constitutional Critique of Indian Nationalism, 1940-50

• In Event: Genealogies of Indian Democracy: Practice, Thought, and Visual Culture (1900-1950)

Abstract

Conventionally hailed as the ‘father’ of the Indian constitution for his role in piloting the draft constitution in the constituent assembly between 1947 and 1950, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’s critical contribution in the constitution making process, however, has largely been undermined. I suggest that between 1940 and 1950, Ambedkar’s writings on the constitutional questions of the day, such as the Muslim League’s claims for Pakistan and the rights of the Dalits (formerly known as the ‘untouchables’), reveals a sustained effort of critiquing the claims of a hegemonic, unifying nationalism. Ambedkar argued that both Muslims and the Dalits, the numerical minorities of the Indian nation could not be treated peripherally in the future Indian constitution. Instead, he suggested that partition of the subcontinent was a viable option and the Dalits had to be imagined as a political subject at the heart of the Indian constitution. It is only by ‘marking’ such a subject, as opposed to assuming a ‘unmarked’ subject that the rights guaranteed by the constitution could be meaningful not only to the Dalits but to all citizens. In thus reimagining the basis of the Indian constitution, Ambedkar aimed to not only secure justice for the historically discriminated groups but also used the constitution itself to effectively critique Indian nationalist claims of hegemonic, difference-blind unity. Democracy, for Ambedkar then, did not naturally originate from nationalism. On the contrary, it was only by breaking down nationalism that the democratic claims of the minorities could be made consequential.

Author

• Arvind Elangovan, Wright State University