Identity assertion versus material transformation: Ad Dharm, Sikh theology, and the Ambedkarite project

Sikhism’s ideological rejection of hierarchies is juxtaposed against caste divides that pervaded Punjabi society by the nineteenth century through endogamy, segregation of worship, and concentration of religious authority amongst dominant castes. This paper traces the Ad Dharm movement as a product of this contradiction, which framed Punjab’s Dalits as the Adi people – a distinct community with an ancient religion predating the Brahmanical social order altogether. Situating the movement parallel to Ambedkar’s anti-caste project, the paper questions whether dignity politics within existing religious frameworks can entirely eliminate caste, and extends this argument into the contemporary Ravidassia movement’s assertion of a distinct identity.