Academic who foregrounded Dalit issues in Indian sociology

Hindustan Times

a day ago

The representation of Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi scholars in India's premier academic institutions and mainstream social science discourse remains limited, with these spaces often dominated by savarna caste scholars. Among the few who broke through these barriers, was professor Nandu Ram, whose passing at the age of 78 marks the loss of a pioneering sociologist; his work reshaped Indian sociology by centering caste, Dalit experiences, and Ambedkarite thought. Even after independence, the majority of Dalits lived under dire social and economic conditions. However, some were undoubtedly inspired by the extraordinary legacy of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and thus aspired to be embraced by the new India as scholars, educators, and intellectuals. (ANI Photo)
Even after Independence, the majority of Dalits lived under dire social and economic conditions, with a life in academics seeming almost inconceivable to many. However, a few were undoubtedly inspired by the extraordinary legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar, and thus aspired to be embraced by the new India as scholars, educators, and intellectuals. Nandu Ram's early life in a small village in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, exemplifies such ambition. Born into a poverty-stricken family, even primary education seemed an unattainable prospect, let alone the possibility of becoming a professor at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Nandu Ram's academic journey was remarkable. He excelled as the top student in his district during high school, pursued higher education at Queen's College, Varanasi, and earned his Master's degree from Banaras Hindu University. In 1976, he completed his PhD in sociology at IIT Kanpur, with a thesis titled Social Mobility and Status Identification among Scheduled Castes: A Study of Scheduled Castes Government Employees in Kanpur City, which laid the foundation for his lifelong exploration of India's caste dynamics, social exclusion, and mobility.
A pivotal moment in his career came in 1978 when he joined JNU's Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS) as its first Scheduled Caste faculty member. At the time, JNU was recognised as a leading institution for social science research, dedicated to the values of modern nation-building. However, the dominant sociological discourse of the 1980s focused primarily on religious traditions, social change, and political development, lacking nuanced inquiries from the perspectives of subaltern castes, particularly Dalits. Nandu Ram introduced a transformative shift in this landscape.
Among the courses that he taught at CSSS, his students remember him for his insightful and critical enquiry in courses like Sociology of Social Stratification in India and Sociology of Urban Life in India. His method was impactful in revealing how caste and class discrimination persist in modern urban settings, while examining how new class formations amongst the subaltern social groups are taking place. He foregrounded the subject of social exclusion by his rigorous scholarship and compelled JNU to confront these ideas in academic discourses.
He dedicated his career to embedding caste and Dalit subjectivity within mainstream sociology. His scholarship illuminated the lived realities of marginalised communities, challenging the discipline's savarna-centric frameworks. His seminal works, including The Mobile Scheduled Castes: Rise of a New Middle Class (1988), Beyond Ambedkar: Essays on Dalits in India (1995), and the five-volume Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Castes in India (2007–2011), offered fresh analytical lenses for examining social mobility, caste discrimination, and Dalit political thought. His later edited volumes, Ambedkar, Dalits and Buddhism (2008) and Dalits in Contemporary India (2008), engaged leading scholars to explore the evolving socio-economic conditions of marginalised groups. With over three dozen widely cited research articles, Ram's work continues to influence global academic discourse.
Beyond his scholarship, Ram was a dedicated institution builder. As chairperson of CSSS and later dean of JNU's School of Social Sciences, he championed democratic and secular administration, often inviting academic discussion on the themes of social justice . As a founding professor of JNU's Ambedkar Chair, he mainstreamed Ambedkar's philosophy through national conferences and memorial lectures. His tenure as director general of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences in Madhya Pradesh further advanced his mission to institutionalise Ambedkarite thought. His presence helped the institutions to ponder about social inclusivity and to act responsibly towards the concerns and issues of the subaltern social classes.
In 2017, the Indian Sociological Society honoured Nandu Ram with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This was to recognise his transformative contributions that challenged systemic inequities and enriched social science discourse, while making powerful claims for social justice. The contemporary focus on Ambedkar, caste and Dalit issues in Indian sociology owes much to his foundational efforts. His inspiring academic legacy will surely motivate scholars and social activists to continue the pursuit for an equitable and inclusive academic landscape.
Harish S Wankhede is assistant professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The views expressed are personal