Jotirao Phule (1827-1890) was India s first systematic theorist of caste, and the most radical 19th-century opponent of it, who desired nothing less than a complete smashing up of its oppressive structure. This volume makes available all his most important prose writings in English. At the centre of Phule s thought and analysis are Gulamgiri (Slavery) and Shetkaryacha Asud (Cultivator s Whipcord), both included in this volume in their entirety. Also included are Phule s deposition to the Hunter Commission on Education; his response to the Parsi social reformer Malabari s notes on Infant Marriage and Enforced Widowhood ; his letter to M.G. Ranade regarding the Marathi Authors Conference; his stirring defence of Pandita Ramabai in two numbers of the journal Satsar; and selections from The Book of the True Faith. All translations have been specially commissioned for this richly annotated volume, and the Editor s Introduction places Phule s life, work, and thought, as well as each text included in this volume, in historical perspective. For anyone interested in the question of caste, this volume is an indispensable resource.