Conference on From Iconography to Implementation: Reclaiming the Radical Ambedkar for 21st Century Nation Building

Organizer: Loyola Institute of Social Science Training and Research (LISSTAR) In Collaboration with Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar Housing & Development Corporation (TAHDCO), Government of Tamil Nadu

About the Conference 

• When: 23-25 July 2026
• Conference Venue: Lawrence Sundaram (L. S.) Hall Loyola College, Chennai
• Last Date for receiving Abstract: 15.07.2026
• Acceptance for Abstracts: 20.07.2026
• Last date for sending a full-length paper: 25.08.2026

Call For Papers 

• Abstracts are invited on topics relevant to the conference themes from participants who wish to present papers.
• The paper should be original and unpublished.
• Abstracts on any theme of the conference must be in Microsoft Word, and text should be in 12-point, Times New Roman font.
• Margins should be one inch on both sides, 1.5-spaced with a maximum of 250 words.
• Provide 4 to 6 keywords that can be used for indexing purposes.
• The abstract should include a separate page containing the following in the order mentioned: Title, Sub-theme (Refer to the Brochure), Authors, Affiliation, Abstract, and Keywords.

It may be submitted via email lisstarprograms@loyolacollege.edu

Sub Themes 

• Constitutional Morality Vs.Majoritarianism: The Role of Institutions
• Safeguarding preamble in the age of Global Polarization
• Safeguarding Independent Institutions: The Ambedkarite Checklist for a healthy democracy
• Ambedkarite Economics: Addressing Wealth Gaps in a Post-Liberalized India
• The Gig Economy: Labour rights for platform workers as a modern Mahad Satyagraha
• The Gender Manifesto: Intersectional Feminism - from the Hindu Code Bill to Transgender Rights
• Algorithmic Casteism: Combatting bias in AI and Data Science
• Reclaiming the City: Addressing urban housing segregation and Ghettoization
• Globalizing Caste: International Law and the Dalit Diaspora
• Towards an Enlightened India: Secularism and the Future of Fraternity
• Any Other themes relevant to the Conference

Registration Fee

Students/ Research Scholars: Rs 100

Professionals/Academicians Others: 200

Accommodation

Accommodation will be arranged for registered participants upon prior request. It will be provided free of charge for the first 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that no TA/DA will be paid.

Publication Plan

Abstracts of all papers at the conference will be published in a book of abstracts with an ISBN. Full-length papers will be peer-reviewed by scientific committee members, and selected papers will be published in Social Glance (A Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities) ICSSR Sponsored Journal.

Background 

Dr B. R. Ambedkar was a multifaceted pathbreaker, a jurist who gave India its legal soul, an economist who laid the foundation for the Finance Commission, and a social reformer who challenged millennia of systemic inequity. For Decades, the Iconography of Ambedkar, the blue suit, the Constitution in hand, has been used by various political spectrums to signal symbolic inclusivity. In the 21st century, his legacy is often reduced to statues and anniversaries. However, this Symbolic Ambedkar often masks the Radical Ambedkar, whose ideas on State Socialism, Annihilation of Caste, and Constitutional Morality remain largely unimplemented.

The 21st Century challenge is to move from Adoration to Application. Nation-building in 2026 requires more than representation; it requires the structural dismantling of inequality as envisioned in his final speech to the Constituent Assembly. As we navigate an era defined by AI, globalized economies, and shifting social dynamics, embracing his vision means applying his principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity to modern challenges like the digital divide, urban casteism, and global human rights.

In the third decade of the 21st century, India and the world face new complexities: algorithmic bias, the gig economy, climate injustice, and a global retreat from democratic norms. This National Conference aims to move beyond the ritualistic celebration of Babasaheb and instead utilize his intellectual toolkit to solve the wicked problems of the modern era.

Patron 

Rev. Dr Britto V. SJ, Provincial, Jesuit Chennai Province

Rev. Dr J. Antony Robinson SJ, Rector, Loyola Institutions

Rev. Dr D. Thomas Alexander SJ, Secretary & Correspondent

Rev. Dr A. Louis Arockiaraj SJ, Principal

Mr L. Joseph Arockiasamy Deputy Principal

Conveners

Rev. Dr M. S. Joseph Antony Jacob SJ

Vice Principal & Director - LISSTAR, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai - 34

Mr Venkatesan S.

Assistant Professor, School of Human Excellence (SHE), Loyola College, Chennai - 34

Student Conveners 

s Aruna S. +91 63823 92864

Mr Nandish V. +91 80567 27595