The Evolution of Pragmatism in India

Ambedkar, Dewey, and the Rhetoric of Reconstruction

The Evolution of Pragmatism in India
Scott R Stroud
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Paperback
h229 x 152mm - 320pg
30 Jan 2023 US
Eta 3-5 days from NZ Market Release
9780226824321
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The story of how the Indian reformer Bhimrao Ambedkar reimagined John Dewey' s pragmatism. In The Evolution of Pragmatism in India, Scott R. Stroud delivers a comprehensive exploration of the influence of John Dewey' s pragmatism on Bhimrao Ambedkar, architect of the Republic of India' s constitution. Stroud traces Ambedkar' s development in Dewey' s Columbia University classes in 1913-1916 through his final years in 1950s India when he rewrote the story of Buddhism. Stroud examines pragmatism' s influence not only on the philosophical ideas underpinning Ambedkar' s fight against caste oppression but also how his persuasive techniques drew on pragmatism' s commitment to reconstruction and meliorism. At the same time, Stroud is careful to point out the ways that Ambedkar pushed back against Dewey' s paradigm and developed his own approach to challenges in India. The result is a nuanced study of one of the most important figures in Indian history.
"Ambedkar was one of the greatest legal and political thinkers of the twentieth century, but his thought is barely known in the United States. With wide-ranging research and insightful philosophical probing, Stroud shows that Ambedkar, using Dewey' s works as a fulcrum, created a distinctive form of Buddhist pragmatism, committed to meliorist social dialogue, non-anger, and the flexible pursuit of social democracy. A major achievement. " -- Martha C. Nussbaum, University of Chicago "In this meticulously researched book, Stroud positions Ambedkar' s engagement with Dewey' s thought as a defining moment in the global history of American pragmatism. The Evolution of Pragmatism in India is a major contribution to Ambedkar studies, which enlarges our methodological repertoire for approaching this foundational thinker of caste inequality. " -- Anupama Rao, Columbia University "Stroud' s in-depth exploration of the influence of Dewey' s pragmatism on Ambedkar' s thought not only allows us to comprehend the positions that Ambedkar took but also, equally, to appreciate the compromises he made in his policy engagement for Dalit empowerment from 1919 to 1956. " -- Sukhadeo Thorat, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies "In this carefully researched and skillfully presented work, Stroud examines Ambedkar' s adoption of a revivified Buddhism and Dewey' s pragmatism as tools for his struggle against the Hindu caste system. By expanding our understanding of the global potentials of pragmatism, Stroud has made a major contribution to East-West scholarship. " -- Larry A. Hickman, Center for Dewey Studies
Scott R. Stroud is associate professor of communication studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of John Dewey and the Artful Life and Kant and the Promise of Rhetoric.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780226824321
Published: 30 Jan 2023
Published In: United States
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Format: Paperback
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Pages: 320

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