Understanding Gail Omvedt’s Anti-caste and Feminist Research Methodology

Gail Omvedt has published more than 50 articles in EPW. This includes sharp book reviews, innovative research work and critical responses to articles published in the journal. After her death, EPW published reflective articles to understand her contributions. To take this a step further, and to commemorate her legacy, we felt that it could be useful to take a behind-the-scenes look at her research process, how her work is taught within a classroom setting and critical reflections about her scholarship.
Dr Umesh Bagade and Dr Sangita Thosar join us on the podcast to share their insights based on extensive experience teaching Omvedt’s work and knowledge about anti-caste and feminist movements in Maharashtra. Our reading list charts the growth of her scholarship. We discuss Dr Omvedt’s articles titled “Jotirao Phule and the Ideology of Social Revolution in India,” “Development of the Maharashtrian Class Structure, 1818 to 1931,” and “Non-Brahmans and Nationalists in Poona”
Umesh R Bagade is a professor at Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad. His research and teaching interests include the history of anti-caste movements, the intellectual and social history of modern Maharashtra, historiography, studies of caste economy and history of caste gender consciousness. Sangita Thosar is an assistant professor at the Advanced Center for Women’s Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her research and teaching interest include caste and gender, women’s role in various social movements, questions of citizenship and the rights of Dalit–Adivasi women.