Gail Omvedt Explained

Gail Omvedt (2 August 1941 – 25 August 2021) was an American-born Indian sociologist and human rights activist.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} She was a prolific writer and published numerous books on the anti-caste movement, Dalit politics, and women's struggles in India. Omvedt was involved in Dalit and anti-caste movements, environmental, farmers' and women's movements, especially with rural women.

Omvedt's dissertation was titled Cultural Revolt in a Colonial Society: The Non-Brahman Movement in Western India, 1873-1930.

Omvedt's academic writing includes numerous books and articles on class, caste and gender issues. Besides undertaking many research projects, she was a consultant for FAO, UNDP and NOVIB and served as a Dr Ambedkar Chair Professor at NISWASS in Orissa, a professor of sociology at the University of Pune and an Asian guest professor at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen. She was a senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and research director of the Krantivir Babuji Patankar Sanstha.

Biography

Gail Omvedt was born in Minneapolis and studied at Carleton College and at UC Berkeley where she earned her PhD in sociology in 1973. When she went to India for the first time in 1963~64, she was an English tutor on a Fulbright Fellowship.^[5] Omveldt again came to India for research in the 1970s. At that time she met her future husband, Bharat Patankar, and his social activist mother, Indumati Patankar. After marrying Bharat, she lived with her husband and his extended family in a village called Kasegaon in Indian state of Maharashtra.^[6] She became an Indian citizen in 1983.^[7]

In the years before her death she was working as a consulting sociologist on gender, environment and rural development, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Oxfam Novib (NOVIB) and other institutions. She was a consultant for UN agencies and NGOs, served as a Dr Ambedkar Chair Professor at NISWASS in Orissa, a professor of sociology at the University of Pune, as an Asian guest professor at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen and as a senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. She was a visiting professor and coordinator at the School of Social Justice, University of Pune, and a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Gail Omvedt was a former chair professor for the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair of Social Change and Development at IGNOU. Omvedt died on 25 August 2021 in Maharashtra at the age of 80.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Activism

Omvedt worked with social movements in India, including the Dalit and anti-caste movements, environmental movements, farmers' movements and especially with rural women. She was active in Shramik Mukti Dal, Stri Mukti Sangarsh Chalval which works on issues of abandoned women in Sangli and Satara districts of southern Maharashtra, and the Shetkari Mahila Aghadi, which works on issues of women's land rights and political power.^[11]

Views

Gail Omvedt was an Ambedkarite scholar who contributed immensely to the anti-caste movement.^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]} Omvedt was critical of the religious scriptures of Hinduism (or what she specifically regarded as "brahminism") for what she argued is their promotion of a caste-based society.

In addition to her criticism of their purported advocacy for the caste system, Omvedt also dismissed the Hindu tradition of venerating the Vedas as holy. In a 2000 open letter published in The Hindu addressed to then-BJP President Bangaru Laxman, she gave her perspective on the Rigveda:

Omvedt posits that Hindutva groups foster an ethnic definition of Hinduism based on geography, ancestry and heritage to create solidarity amongst various castes, despite the prevalence of caste-based discrimination.^[18]

Omvedt endorsed the stand taken by Dalit activists at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism that caste discrimination is similar to racism in regarding discriminated groups as "biologically inferior and socially dangerous".

She called the United States a "racist country" and has advocated for affirmative action; however, she compared American positive-discrimination policies favorably to those of India, stating:and, with respect to perceptions of "group performance", in the United States and India, Omvedt wrote:

She on occasion supported big-dam projects^[19] and GMO crops.^{[20] [21]}

Controversy and criticism

Andre Beteille's criticism

Omvedt's portrayal of caste-discrimination and violence as forms of "racism" was opposed by the Indian government^[22] and sociologists in India, including Andre Beteille, who while acknowledging that discrimination exists, deeply opposed treating caste as a form of racism "simply to protect against prejudice and discrimination", describing such attempts as "politically mischievous" and "worse, scientifically nonsense".^{[23] [24]} Beteille argues (that):

Marxist critique

Omvedt was criticized for a perceived "anti-statist" bias in her writing as well as "neo-liberal" economic sympathies. Scholars have also questioned the sincerity of her claims regarding the "authenticity" of her work, writing:^[25]

Works

Omvedt's dissertation was on Cultural Revolt in a Colonial Society: The NonBrahman Movement in Western India, 1873-1930 (reprint of 1976 book) (New Delhi, Manohar, 2011).

Omvedt's academic writing includes numerous books and articles on class, caste and gender issues, most notably:^[26]

• Cultural Revolt in a Colonial Society: The NonBrahman Movement in Maharashtra (Scientific Socialist Education Trust, 1966)
• "We Will Smash This Prison!.: Indian Women in Struggle " (Zed, 1980)
• "Violence Against Women: New Movements And New Theories In India" (Kali for Women, 1991)
• Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements in India (M.E. Sharpe, 1993)
• Gender and Technology: Emerging Asian Visions (1994)
• Dalits And The Democratic Revolution: Dr. Ambedkar And The Dalit Movement In Colonial India (Sage India, 1994)
• Dalit Visions: the Anticaste movement and Indian Cultural Identity (Orient Longman, 1995)
• Growing Up Untouchable: A Dalit Autobiography (Rowman and Littlefield, 2000)
• Buddhism in India: Challenging Brahmanism and Caste (SageIndia, 2003)
• "Ambedkar: Towards an Enlightened India " (Penguin, 2005)
• Seeking Begumpura: The Social Vision of Anticaste Intellectuals (New Delhi, Navayana, 2009)
• "Understanding Caste: From Buddha To Ambedkar And Beyond" (New Delhi: Orient Blackswan, 2011)
• Songs of Tukoba with Bharat Patankar she has published (translations) (Manohar, 2012)
• Jotirao Phule and the Ideology of Social Revolution in India^[27]

Awards

• Honorary Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, 1964–65^[28]
• Fulbright Fellowship as Tutor in English in India, 1963-1964
• University of California Graduate Fellowships, 1964–65, 1965–66
• American Institute of Indian Studies, Junior Fellowship for PhD research in India on "The NonBrahman Movement in Maharashtra," January–December 1971
• American Association of University Women, Fellowship for research on "Women's Movement in India," January–December 1975
• Savitribai Phule Puraskar, Padmashri Kavivarya Narayan Surve Sarvajanik Vacanalay, Nashik, 2002
• Dr. Ambedkar Chetna Award, Manavwadi Rachna Manch Punjab, August 2003
• ABP Majha Sanman Purskar, 2012
• Matoshree Bhimabai Ambedkar Award (2012)
• Vitthal Ramji Shinde Award, April 2015
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Sociological Society, 2018^{[29] [30]}

See also

• Eleanor Zelliot
• Forward Press

External links

• Blog by Gail Omvedt
• Profile of Gail Omvedt, UC Berkeley sociology website
• Profile of Gail Omvedt, University of Michigan website
• Profile of Gail Omvedt, Sage Publication
• Profile of Gail Omvedt, Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania.
• Gail Omvedt, An Open Letter To Arundhati Roy
• Gail Omvedt, The Hindutva bomb, published in The Hindu, 20 June 1998
• Gail Omvedt, Caste System and Hinduism, Economic and Political Weekly, 13 March 2004
  • Why Dalits dislike environmentalists - Gail Omvedt

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dutt. Yashica. Long Live Comrade Gail. live. 2021-09-16. Foreign Policy. en-US. 15 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210915130608/https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/09/12/gail-omvedt-dalit-rights-caste-india/.
2. Web site: India Will Remember Gail Omvedt Forever. live. 25 August 2021. The Wire. 25 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825073758/https://thewire.in/society/india-will-remember-gail-omvedt-forever.
3. Web site: BAVADAM. LYLA. Gail Omvedt, voice of Dalits, passes away. 2021-08-25. Frontline. 25 August 2021 . en. 25 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825125745/https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/gail-omvedt-voice-of-dalits-passes-away/article36095633.ece. live.
4. Web site: Yengde. Suraj. 2021-08-25. Gail Omvedt took caste to global audience that was fed only a Brahminical point of view. 2021-08-28. ThePrint. en-US. 28 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210828125715/https://theprint.in/opinion/gail-omvedt-took-caste-to-global-audience-that-was-fed-only-a-brahminical-point-of-view/722072/. live.
5. News: Vinoth Kumar . N . Gail Omvedt: Revolutionary activist who fought passionately for Dalit rights . 28 August 2021 . The Federal . 25 August 2021 . 28 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210828200714/https://thefederal.com/obituary/gail-omvedt-revolutionary-activist-who-wrote-passionately-about-dalit-issues/ . live .
6. Web site: 2021-08-25. Gail Omvedt, social researcher and activist, dies at 81. 2021-08-28. The Indian Express. en. 28 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210828124423/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/dr-gail-omvedt-dead-7469798/. live.
7. Web site: Gail Omvedt: US sociologist who 'lived by her principles' among India's poor . The Guardian . 29 September 2021 .
8. Web site: Gail Omvedt, 80, Dies; India Became Her Home, the Caste System Her Cause. The New York Times. Yasir. Sameer. 1 September 2021. 3 September 2021. 2 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210902183650/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/gail-omvedt-dead.html. live.
9. News: US-born Dalit scholar Gail Omvedt passes away in Sangli India News - Times of India. live. 25 August 2021. The Times of India. 25 August 2021. en. 25 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825073758/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/us-born-dalit-scholar-gail-omvedt-passes-away-in-sangli/articleshow/85617614.cms.
10. News: Deshpande. Alok. 25 August 2021. Researcher, author Gail Omvedt passes away. en-IN. The Hindu. 25 August 2021. 0971-751X. 25 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825041827/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/researcher-author-gail-omvedt-passes-away/article36091934.ece. live.
11. News: IANS. 2021-08-25. US-born Dalit scholar Gail Omvedt passes away in Maharashtra's Sangli. Business Standard India. 2021-08-28. 28 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210828124422/https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/us-born-dalit-scholar-gail-omvedt-passes-away-in-maharashtra-s-sangli-121082500812_1.html. live.
12. Web site: Scholar, Ambedkarite movement activist Gail Omvedt dies at 81. 25 August 2021. Hindustan Times. 14 September 2021. 14 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210914174209/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/american-research-and-rights-activist-gail-omvedt-passes-away-101629885310600.html. live.
13. Web site: In Merging Scholarship and Activism, Gail Omvedt Made Academic Research Accessible for All. The Wire. 14 September 2021. 14 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210914191535/https://thewire.in/society/gail-omvedt-anti-caste-research-activism. live.
14. Web site: A Tribute To Gail Omvedt: The Author Who Re-Envisaged 'Begumpura'. Mansi. Bhalerao. 30 August 2021. Feminism In India. 14 September 2021. 9 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909233311/https://feminisminindia.com/2021/08/31/gail-omvedt-tribute/. live.
15. Web site: Gail Omvedt: She gave us insight into anti-caste ideology. Tribune News. Service. Tribuneindia News Service. 14 September 2021. 9 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909205420/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/gail-omvedt-she-gave-us-insight-into-anti-caste-ideology-302139. live.
16. Web site: Author, human rights activist Gail Omvedt dies at 81. Scroll Staff. Scroll.in. 25 August 2021 . 14 September 2021. 14 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210914174209/https://scroll.in/latest/1003687/author-human-rights-activist-gail-omvedt-dies-at-81. live.
17. Web site: How Gail Omvedt was embraced by Dalit-Bahujan communities. 31 August 2021. 14 September 2021. 14 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210914174210/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/gail-omvedt-dalit-bahujan-activist-7477108/. live.
18. Gail Omvedt,, The Hindu, 25 February 2003
19. Web site: Gail Omvedt, Open Letter To Arundhathi Roy . 27 December 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081026041539/http://www.narmada.org/debates/gail/gail.open.letter.html . 26 October 2008 . dead .
20. Gail Omvedt, Burning Farmer's Fields (Part 1), The Hindu, 9 November 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20121108155602/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/11/09/stories/05092524.htm
21. Gail Omvedt, Burning Farmer's Fields (Part 2), The Hindu, 10 November 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20030907225908/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/11/10/stories/05102524.htm
22. https://www.npr.org/programs/specials/racism/010828.caste.html An Untouchable Subject?
23. ,The Hindu, 3 June 2001
24. Andre Béteille, Race and caste, The Hindu, 10 March 2001
25. http://www.proxsa.org/resources/ghadar/v2n1/omvedt.html SAPs, Dust, and Hot Air: Gail Omvedt and Liberalization
26. Web site: Books by Gail Omvedt . 30 March 2014 . 23 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140123124851/http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/229688.Gail_Omvedt . live .
27. Omvedt. Gail. Jotirao Phule and the Ideology of Social Revolution in India. Economic and Political Weekly. 11 September 1971.
28. Web site: 2021-08-25. Bharat Patankar's Wife Gail Omvedt Passes Away. live. 2021-09-16. Sakshi Post. en. 16 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916111916/https://english.sakshi.com/news/national/bharat-patankars-wife-gail-omvedt-passes-away-141667.
29. Web site: Lifetime Achievement Awards . insoso.org . Indian Sociological Conference . 28 August 2021 . So far the Life-Time Achievement Award has been given to: 1) ... 36) Prof. Gail Omvedt 37) ... . 28 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210828195136/http://insoso.org/achivement-awards . live .
30. News: 44th All-India Sociological Conference begins in Mysuru . 28 August 2021 . The Hindu . 28 December 2018 . en-IN . Sociologist and scholar Gail Omvedt said on Thursday that the world was going through a period of turmoil, with democracies being trampled by the State in various countries. She was speaking after receiving the lifetime achievement award presented on the first day of the 44th All-India Sociological Conference at St. Philomena's College here. . 28 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210828195134/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/44th-all-india-sociological-conference-begins-in-mysuru/article25844777.ece . live .