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Ambedkar prize announced by U.S. philosophy society
The prize is intended to encourage further research into how American philosophy engages with other cultures and what it can learn from them.
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Pranavi Sharma - Mon, 13, Apr 2026
- 02:08 EDT
- 22
Dr B.R. Ambedkar (1891–1956) was an Indian jurist / The Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy
The Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy announced April 12, 2026, the establishment of the Bhimrao Ambedkar Prize in Global Pragmatism, a new academic award recognizing scholarship that connects American philosophy with intellectual traditions across the world.
The society said the prize will honor high-quality research examining interactions between American philosophical thought and thinkers in India, China, broader Asia-Pacific regions, Africa and other understudied areas. It will be awarded annually at the group’s spring conference to papers submitted on pragmatism and American philosophy in a global context.
The announcement marks what the organization described as the first prize established by an American scholarly body named in honor of Bhimrao Ambedkar.
I'm excited to announce the establishment of the Bhimrao Ambedkar Prize in Global Pragmatism by @SAAPhilosophy. This is notable because it shows the uptake of Ambedkar as a thinker & philosopher by a broad-focus western academic organization. Press release below, link in comments pic.twitter.com/QW1CounJIq
— Scott R. Stroud (@scottrstroud) April 13, 2026
Ambedkar (1891–1956) was an Indian jurist, economist and social reformer who chaired the committee that drafted India’s Constitution. He was also a philosopher and civil rights leader who studied under American thinker John Dewey at Columbia University from 1913 to 1916. After returning to India, he led a movement against caste discrimination, played a central role in shaping the country’s democratic framework in the 1940s, and later organized a mass conversion to Buddhism in the 1950s. The society said his work contributed to the global development of pragmatist thought beyond its American origins.
The prize is intended to encourage further research into how American philosophy engages with other cultures and what it can learn from them. Scott Stroud, a member of the society’s board of directors, said “this award will encourage more research into pragmatism’s engagement with other cultures—and into what American philosophers can learn from thinkers in China, India, Africa, and beyond.”
SAAP President Tess Varner said, “This award is significant,” adding that it “recognizes the vitality of the American philosophical tradition as it expands through global engagement and influence.”
Manoj Shambharkar, an executive member of the Ambedkar International Mission, said, “Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was not only a jurist and social reformer but also a profound philosopher whose ideas reshaped modern Indian thought.” He added, “We appreciate SAAP’s commitment to fostering scholarly excellence and expanding the horizons of philosophical research across the globe.”
Funding for the prize was provided by the Stroud family in memory of Herman Stroud.
The Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy, founded in 1973, promotes research and teaching across areas of American philosophy and supports collaboration on contemporary issues in ethics and political philosophy.
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