Tamil Buddhism and brahminism in Modern India: Deep Resistance against Caste

— —

Gajendran Ayyathurai (Historian and Anthropologist, Historian and Anthropologist, Göttingen, Germany)

Tamil Buddhism and brahminism in Modern India

Name: Tamil Buddhism and brahminism in Modern India
Price: 282.95 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9780198952398

Deep Resistance against Caste

Gajendran Ayyathurai (Historian and Anthropologist, Historian and Anthropologist, Göttingen, Germany)

$282.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We will update you on expected arrival time to us. If this delay is too long, please let us know within 2 business days and we can give you options regarding cancelling or adjusting your order. More details on cancelling your order can be found in our Terms of Trade.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
05 February 2026

Asian history; Social & cultural history; National liberation & independence, post-colonialism; Hindu life & practice

Series: Religion and Democracy

This book explores Tamil Buddhism in modern India, focusing on its emergence as a response to caste-based oppression during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Central to this movement was Pandit Iyothee Thass (1845–1914), a pioneering intellectual who reinterpreted India’s Buddhist past to challenge brahminical dominance. Thass reasoned that it was because many Indians followed Buddhist cultural and material traditions in ancient times, they were oppressed as untouchables and lower castes by self-privileging-caste groups, such as brahmins. Thus, Thass challenged brahminism/casteism in India by reconstructing and mobilizing a reading public about the casteless Buddhist history of Indians who were prone to caste oppression. His writings, petitions, and archives reveal the castelessness of Tamil Buddhists and their commitment for a radical political transformation in modern India. Key aspects of the Tamil Buddhist movement include public mobilization for caste-free societies, self-representation of oppressed communities, economic redistribution through affirmative action, and a feminist critique of caste and patriarchy. Through interdisciplinary methods from Critical Caste Studies, this monograph uncovers the intellectual history of Tamil Buddhism and its radical call for vernacular emancipation. It highlights how Indigenous, Tamil/Indian communities used Buddhist foundations to resist caste and envision a modern, casteless future.

By: Gajendran Ayyathurai (Historian and Anthropologist Historian and Anthropologist Göttingen Germany)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 26mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 216mm
Weight: 585g
ISBN: 9780198952398
ISBN 10: 0198952392
Series: Religion and Democracy
Pages: 390
Publication Date: 05 February 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gajendran Ayyathurai is an anthropologist and a historian from Göttingen, Germany. Before Göttingen University, Gajendran taught at Columbia University, City University of New York, and William Paterson University, USA. He has published on the culture, memory, and history of the casteless Tamils–Indians in Tamil, English, and German. He has also initiated a unique subject area, Critical Caste Studies, with scholars from India, Europe, and North America.