Periyar E. V Ramasamy: A Study in Political Atheism

Dr. Karthick Ram Manoharan (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, University of Wolverhampton)

Date and Time: 3pm to 4.30pm, Friday 13th May 2022, Location: Gordon Stephenson Lecture Theatre 1

Periyar .V. Ramasamy (1879-1973) was a rationalist anti-caste leader from South India. Known for his critical views on caste, nationalism, gender, and social justice, he earned a controversial reputation in his lifetime and after for his views on religion. Criticized by his opponents for being a 'crude atheist', Periyar's critique of religion however was not a simple rejection of god, but a critique of political theology. In this paper, I discuss Periyar's controversial, sometimes contradictory, but overall nuanced approach to religion, and explore how his criticisms of religion were fundamentally rooted in an opposition to hierarchical social power and a concern for social justice. I read Periyar in the anarchist tradition, drawing comparisons with the Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, to consider how Periyar was critical of both divine and secular power.

Part of the Seminar Series “Transformations in Land, Labour, and Meaning” organised by the Power, Space, and Cultural Change Cluster, Department of Geography and Planning.