Ambedkar’s Śūnyatā and the Impermanence of the Theologico-Political

Abstract This article engages with B. R. Ambedkar as political philosopher and key contributor to debates on global democracy the genealogy of democratic ideas outside West. I focus specifically Ambedkar’s use Buddhist philosophy concept śūnyatā or emptiness/impermanence, which plays a central role in his search for non-theological politics. In order explore implications such politics, brings into conversation Claude Lefort theorization relationships among religion, democracy. Through this reading, becomes legible not only profound challenge what has called “permanence theologico-political” but also radical way combining everyday practice an emphatic notion negative identity.