Pleas to the Foreigner

This paper attempts to outline some theoretical motifs from B.R. Ambedkar’s political thought for the purposes of throwing some critical light on the broader framework of methodological nationalism that defines colonial and postcolonial Indian diplomacy. It examines Ambedkar’s comparative analysis of caste and race, his engagement with anti-racist movements and thought, and his non-national internationalism and diplomacy. It argues that Ambedkar’s political thought challenges traditional diplomatic frameworks by underlining how the Indian nation-state’s diplomatic concerns are historically inflected by the ideology of Brahmanism. A critical focus derived from Ambedkar’s political thought provides for a crucial – if not foundational – theoretical framework for interrogating the category of Brahmanism or casteism as inflecting the international engagements of India’s diplomatic elites.