The Dravidian Movement has shaped Tamil Nadu’s politics for over a century. Yet, despite its professed commitment to social justice, the movement has a complex legacy of excluding Dalits and consolidating caste majorities in power. From the first non-Brahmin ministry in 1920 to contemporary struggles over reservation and caste-based violence, the story of Dalits in the Dravidian model reveals the limits of political empowerment in a state celebrated for its social reforms.
