Ambedkar’s Navayana Buddhism: mobilising Buddhism towards an ethical and emancipatory ‘International’

This commentary engages Aparna Devare’s argument that B.R. Ambedkar’s Navayana Buddhism off ers a non-Western ethical vocabulary for International Relations, moving beyond his usual framing as the architect of theIndian constitution and a pioneering Dalit leader. It situates Ambedkar’s reinterpretation of Buddhism as anticipatingstructural violence theory and challenging secular, state-centric IR. The commentary extends Devare’s analysis byintroducing Rahul Sankritayan’s parallel Buddhist-Marxist cosmopolitanism and Savita Ambedkar’s role andcontribution to his legacy, while critically interrogating how Buddhist majoritarian violence in Sri Lanka and Myanmarcomplicates Navayana’s universalist claims, and ultimately positioning Ambedkar as a theorist of hierarchy, dignity,and moral community for reimagining international political ethics.