Jyotirao Phule and Gulamgiri
Jyotirao Phule attacked Brahman’s claim that they were superior to others since they were the Aryans. According to him, the Upper caste had no right over land and power, since they were Aryans and outsiders; but land belonged to the indigenous people, the low castes. He proposed that Shudras and Ati Shudras should unite to challenge caste discrimination. Satyashodhak Samaj, an association founded by him, propagated caste equality.
In 1873, he wrote booked titled Gulamgiri. He dedicated the book to all those Americans who fought to free slaves and form a link between the lower caste of India and the slaves of America. He argued against any forms of inequality and was also concerned about the plight of upper-caste women, the miseries of laborers, and the humiliation of lower castes. These movements were continued by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and E.V. Ramaswamy.
CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 8 – Women, Caste and Reform
Even after independence from British rule, women still hadn’t achieved independence and are struggling for it. But reformers have tried to reform our society and have succeeded to a large extent.
Differences were not only in gendered context but people were also divided along caste lines and certain castes were considered “polluting” and “untouchables”. They weren’t allowed to enter temples, or draw water from wells and were seen as inferior humans. Over the years many of these norms and perceptions have changed slowly.
Contact Us