W. E. B. Du Bois and Ambedkar: Revisiting the Intellectual Historical Analysis of their Views on Race and Caste

Abstract

Du Bois and Ambedkar, both intellectually sound personalities, challenged the established institutions of oppression of race and caste. Their intellectual and social legacies continue to have an impact on academia and society today. Their new interpretations of history changed the course of generations. This paper, using an intellectual historical method, attempts to revisit and analyse the issues of “race” and “caste” and the relevance of interpretations by both intellectuals. This paper is majorly divided into four parts, with the first one trying to explain the intellectual historical method, its problems in implementation, and its relevance to such an issue; the second one trying to excavate their conceptual perceptions of “race” and “caste.” The third part discusses the perception of both scholars on the driving forces behind these issues, and the last part discusses the concise history of their struggle towards establishing an egalitarian society.