Asserting Dalit identity beyond borders: Ambedkar statues as transnational symbols of memory, resistance, and anti-caste advocacy

This article examines the presence of Dr B. R. Ambedkar’s statues in diasporic contexts and their role in Dalit efforts to claim dignity, resist caste discrimination and assert voice outside India. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s ideas of panopticism and anopticism, the study interprets these statues as structures that make caste visible in public life while also attracting denial, backlash and attempts at erasure. Semiotic and memory-oriented approaches explain how Ambedkar’s image comes to represent respect, equality and a call for education, organization and public action. The analysis is supported by a qualitative online survey with 161 respondents across several regions, documenting how Ambedkar’s ideas circulate through digital platforms, community gatherings and public memorials. The findings indicate that statues function as points where Dalits and their allies express resistance, build confidence, confront silence around caste and speak against discrimination in its various forms. The article argues that Ambedkar in the diaspora is not only remembered but taken up as a guiding figure whose legacy strengthens anti-caste advocacy and contributes to growing recognition of caste discrimination as a global human rights concern.