Attached Paper In-person November Annual Meeting 2025

From hymns of Devotion to Resistance: Buddhist sonic as an anti-caste counterpublic

Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)

Tathagata Buddha songs refer to a set of singing practices, hymns, and other musical performative dimensions that is particularly dedicated to Buddha, his preaching, and the sense of emancipation that the emergence of Buddhism is rooted in. This paper aims to explore what constitutes Buddhist sonic, particularly for communities who have perceived Buddhism as a way of revival of cultural identity. Through ethnographies of anti-caste singers, the paper aims to engage with the forms, cultural practices, and meanings of Buddhist songs for Dalit-Bahujan communities. While acceptance to Buddhism, since Ambedkar’s conversion in 1956, has been a significant moment for oppressed caste cultural revival, the paper will specifically engage with the ways in which sonic culture is significant and how it reflects anti-caste cultural practices.

Keywords: Music, Buddhism, anti-caste movement, cultural practices, emancipation.