The political economy of race and caste: Revisiting the writings of Mariátegui and Ambedkar^†

Abstract

This article revisits the writings of José Carlos Mariátegui on race and of B.R. Ambedkar on caste from a comparative perspective in light of recent debates within the left on identity and its relationship with class. The article highlights how both these radical thinkers foregrounded issues of race and caste in the context of rising nationalist/anti‐colonial tides and in the context of militant class struggles that had started to emerge in both regions in the 1920s and 30s. It tries to delineate the similarities and differences in the way each thinker theorized the intricate links between social oppression, class struggle, and imperialism. The comparative analysis raises questions that remain of great relevance to left movements even today.