The Popular Print Public&the Making of Anti-Caste Consciousness in Colonial India| Surajkumar Thube

Описание: 📚 Academic Discussion Series 2026
The Popular Print Public and the Making of Anti-Caste Consciousness in Colonial India

Speaking From Margin (SFM) presents an illuminating academic discussion exploring how print culture shaped anti-caste thought in colonial India.

In this session, Dr. Surajkumar Thube (University of Oxford) examines the role of Marathi newspapers, booklets, and print networks in constructing a non-Brahmin intellectual and political consciousness between 1890 and 1930. The discussion highlights how writers from non-Brahmin communities redefined Hindu dharma, challenged Brahminical dominance, and reshaped the modern Marathi public sphere.

The session also features Abhijeet Sapkale (PhD Candidate, JNU) as the discussant, bringing perspectives from political theory, caste studies, and social movements.

This conversation is essential for students and scholars of:

Caste and anti-caste movements

South Asian history

Print culture and public sphere studies

Colonial modernity

Dalit-Bahujan intellectual history

Language politics and identity

🎓 About the Speaker

Dr. Surajkumar Thube completed his PhD (2024) at the Faculty of History, University of Oxford.
His doctoral thesis — “Towards a Non-Brahmin Hinduism: Caste, Dharma and the Marathi Public Sphere, circa 1890–1930” — explores how non-Brahmin thinkers used Marathi print to articulate alternative visions of religion, society, and justice.

He is currently preparing his manuscript for publication with Oxford University Press. His writings have appeared in:
Journal of South Asian History and Culture, Pacific Affairs, Soccer & Society, Scroll.in, Frontline, The India Forum, and The Book Review.

🎙 About the Discussant

Abhijeet Sapkale is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
His research engages with caste, language politics, identity formation, social justice, and social movements.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
05:12 – Framing the Marathi Public Sphere (1890–1930)
18:40 – Print Culture and Non-Brahmin Assertion
32:15 – Rethinking Hindu Dharma and Brahminism
47:50 – Anti-Caste Thought and Political Mobilization
01:03:10 – Discussant’s Reflections
01:18:25 – Audience Q&A
01:42:00 – Concluding Remarks

🔎 Key Themes Discussed

Emergence of the Marathi print public

Non-Brahmin Hinduism and the reinterpretation of dharma

Anti-caste consciousness in colonial India

Public sphere theory in Indian context

Print capitalism and social reform

Bahujan intellectual traditions

Colonial modernity and caste politics

📌 Organised by

Speaking From Margin (SFM)

For queries or collaborations:
📩 [email protected]

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