Subaltern Literature (M. Op.
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Introduction to Dalit Studies: Dalit Literature and Culture
Optional Course for MA in English
Semester I & III, 2025
Course Coordinator: DR
Teachers: SB, DR, SPB
Course Objectives (CO):
1. To introduce students to the historical evolution and core concerns of Dalit literature as a
manifestation of Dalit consciousness in India, and to familiarise them with the political and
cultural context in which Dalit literature as a distinct domain of knowledge production
emerged in modern India.
2. To explore the intersections of caste, class, gender, identity, translation, and translatability
vis-à-vis Dalit narratives.
3. To examine the theoretical frameworks, like Ambedkarite thought, subaltern studies, and
Dalit aesthetics, that inform Dalit writing.
4. To foster critical reading of different genres of Dalit writings as forms of cultural resistance
and self-assertion.
5. To explore the relationship between Dalit consciousness and contemporary Indian culture –
across different media, both at the regional and national levels.
Learning Outcomes (LO):
By the end of this course, students will be able to critically analyse Dalit literature in its
historical and cultural contexts, incorporating an understanding of Ambedkarite philosophy and
its role in shaping Dalit consciousness. They will develop critical skills to engage with key
theoretical debates around caste, marginality, and voice. They will be proficient in areas like
the aesthetics of protest and appraise the role of literature and other forms of cultural
articulations in social transformation. They will be able to contribute to the knowledge that
deals with representation, translation, and canon formation in Dalit literature and similar issues.
(Please note texts will be studied in their English translations. The teachers will
make final selections from the pool of texts.)
Module 1: General Background: SB + DR
Theoretical Foundations – Caste, Resistance, and Dalit Consciousness
Themes: Caste as a system of knowledge/power; Ambedkarite thought; Origin and
development of Dalit literature, Caste and gender, Dalit aesthetics.
Primary Texts: (Selections from)
Sharmila. Writing Caste, Writing Gender, (SB)
Anand Teltumbde, The Persistence of Caste (SB)
Sharankumar Limbale, Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature, (DR)
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B. R. Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste, Jyotirao Phule, Slavery/Gulamgiri, Rege, Arjun
Dangle, “Dalit Literature Past, Present and Future” in Arjun Dangle (ed.) Poisoned Bread,
Module 2: Autobiography Testimonio and Novel as Dalit Self-Assertion (SB)
Themes: Self-narration as resistance; memory, pain, and identity; subaltern autobiography.
Primary Texts: (Excerpts from)
Baby Halder, A Life Less Ordinary (SB)
Omprakash Valmiki, Joothan: A Dalit’s Life, Manoranjan Byapari, The Runaway Boy
(Chandal Jibon Trilogy), Urmila Pawar, The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs,
Baby Kamble, The Prisons We Broke, Bama. Karukku.
Module 3: Dalit Poetry (DR)
Themes: Protest and pathos; linguistic diversity; performance as resistance.
Primary Texts: (Selected Poems)
Namdeo Dhasal, A Current of Blood: Selected Poems, (DR)
Anand, Mulk Raj and Eleanor Zelliot, (Eds.) An Anthology of Dalit Literature (Poems),
Kalyani Thakur Charal. I Belong to Nowhere: Poems of Hope and Resistance, Meena
Kandasamy. Ms. Militancy.
Module 4: Dalit Consciousness and the Contemporary Scenario: Literature
and Other Arts (SPB)
Themes: Politics of representation; Dalit consciousness and contemporary culture – regional
and national.
Primary Texts: (Selections from)
Aparajita Ninan and Srividya Natarajan. A Gardener in The Wasteland: Jotiba Phule’s
Fight for Liberty, (SPB)
Durgabai Vyam, Subhash Vyam, Srividya Natarajan, and S. Anand. Bhimayana: Experiences
of Untouchability, (Graphic Novel) (Graphic Novel) Unnamati Syama Sundar, and Suraj
Yengde. No Laughing Matter: The Ambedkar Cartoons, 1932–1956, Shekhar Kapur. Bandit
Queen (Feature Film), 1994. Neeraj Ghaywan. Masaan (Feature Film), 2015, Jyoti Nisha. Dr.
B. R. Ambedkar: Now and Then (Documentary Film), 2023.
Select Bibliography
D. R. Nagaraj. The Flaming Feet and Other Essays: The Dalit Movement in India. Permanent
Black, 2012.
Dhasal, Namdeo. Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld. Navayana, 2007.
Kandasamy, Meena and Gopal Guru. A Dalit History. Penguin, 2017.
Omvedt, Gail. Understanding Caste: From Buddha to Ambedkar and Beyond. Orient
BlackSwan, 2011.
Kumar, Raj. Dalit Literature and Criticism. Orient BlackSwan, 2019.
---. Dalit Personal Narratives: Reading Caste, Nation and Identity. Orient BlackSwan, 2011.
Pan, Anandita. Mapping Dalit Feminism: Towards an Intersectional Standpoint. SAGE,
2020.
Pawar, J.V. Dalit Panthers: An Authoritative History. Forward Press, 2017.
Randhawa, Harbir Singh. Dalit Literature: Contents, Trends and Concerns. Sarup Book
Publishers, 2010.
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Rawat, Ramnarayan S and K. Satyanarayana, editors. Dalit Studies. Duke University Press,
2016.
Satyanarayana, K. and Susie Tharu, editors. No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from
South India. Penguin, 2011.
Satyanarayana, K. and Susie Tharu, editors. The Exercise of Freedom: An Introduction to
Dalit Writing. Navayana, 2013.
Teltumbde, Anand. Dalits: Past, Present and Future. Routledge, 2017.
Yengde, Suraj. Caste Matters. India Vikings, 2019.
Zelliot, Eleanor. From Untouchable to Dalit. Manohar, 1996.
---. Ambedkar’s World: The Making of Babasaheb and the Dalit Movement. Navayana, 2012.
