Religion, violence, and political mobilisation in South Asia / editor, Ravinder Kaur.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kaur, Ravinder.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communalism--South Asia.

Communalism.

Violence--Religious aspects.

Violence.

Religion and state--South Asia.

Religion and state.

Terrorism--South Asia.

Terrorism.

South Asia.

Physical Description:

228 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New Delhi ; Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, 2005.

Summary:

An oft-neglected theme in studies on communal violence is the role of the state, particularly of its institutions of law enforcement and policing. Recent experience with religion-based violence in South Asia-particularly, the 2002 riots in Gujarat-has brought into sharp focus this relationship between communal violence and partisan state institutions. These major incidents clearly seem to have done away with the state's assumed role as a neutral arbiter between communities, and revealed instead a more openly ethnicised majoritarian stance.

The seven essays in this anthology-written by eminent authors from diverse traditions of anthropology, history, politics and sociology-critically re-examine the symbolism, scale and nature of communal violence in South Asia in view of the state's changing image. Moving beyond cliched explanations of riots, the contributors Map the contemporary discourse on Hindu-Muslim violence and focus on the causes of communal violence as well as its long-term consequences, Situate the nation-state within the incidents of violence-variously termed ethnic, communal and everyday violence-that simultaneously frame and challenge the authority of the state, Locate the current discussion on violence and the state in Pakistan, and provide a general thematic overview of religion and state institutions in Pakistan, Discuss the specific locality-based socio-economic conditions that contribute to violence, Expand various categories of violence to present a South Asian perspective vis-a-vis the current western discourse on 'global terrorism'.

Providing original ethnographic accounts from sites of violence as varied as Karachi, Aligarh, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Mumbai, this volume emphasises the comparative local complexities. This makes it invaluable for assisting a broader understanding of religious violence. The book will be widely welcomed by students and scholars of development studies, anthropology, history, sociology, political science and South Asian studies.

Contents:

The body as symbol in the production of Hindu-Muslim violence / Paul R. Brass

Communal upheaval as the resurgence of social-Darwinism / Jan Breman

Between ethnicity and communalism / Dipankar Gupta

Sovereigns beyond the state / Thomas Blom Hansen

Understanding religious violence in contemporary Pakistan / Ian Talbot

On terror and sacrifice / Oskar Verkaaik

South Asia and the war against terrorism / Björn Hettne.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0761934308

0761934316

8178295776

8178295784

OCLC:

61448124