Annihilation of Caste

B. R. Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste, self published in 1936 as the undelivered text of a speech he had been invited to give, is the foundational primary text of Ambedkar's argument against the caste system, written by the jurist and social reformer who later chaired the drafting of India's constitution. Its authority as a primary source is direct: Ambedkar's own argument in his own words, from someone who experienced caste discrimination directly and studied Hindu scripture and law in detail to build his case. It is a polemical primary text making an argument, not a neutral historical or sociological study of caste, and it should be read as Ambedkar's own position in an ongoing debate he was central to.