Punathil - Interrogating Communalism (Religion and Citizenship)

This book examines conflict and violence among religious minorities and the implication on the idea of citizenship in contemporary India. Going beyond the usual Hindu-Muslim question, it situates communalism in the context of conflicts between Muslims and Christians. By tracing the long history of conflict between the Marakkayar Muslims and Mukkuvar Christians in South India, it explores the notion of mobilization of religious identity within the discourse on communal violence in South Asia and discusses the spatial dynamics in violent conflicts. Including rich empirical evidence from historical and ethnographic material, the author shows how the contours of violence among minorities position Muslims as more vulnerable subjects of violent conflicts.

The book will be useful to scholars and researchers of politics, political sociology, sociology and social anthropology, minority studies and South Asian studies. It will also interest those working on peace and conflict, violence, ethnicity and identity as well as activists and policymakers concerned with the problems of fishing communities.

Salah Punathil is a Sociologist and Assistant Professor at the Centre for Regional Studies, University of Hyderabad, India. He is currently Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Gttingen, Germany. He completed his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on violence among religious minorities in Kerala. Previously, he has taught Sociology at Tezpur University, Assam (September 2011 to June 2014) and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi (July 2009 to May 2010). His research interest includes ethnic violence in India, migration, citizenship, Muslims in South Asia and the intersection of archives and ethnography. He has published articles in journals such as South Asia Research and Contributions to Indian Sociology . Punathil is the recipient of M.N. Srinivas Award for Young Indian Sociologist, 2015.

Series Editor: Surinder S. Jodhka

Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Social science research and popular discourse on religion and public life have gradually moved away from the popular binaries of communal secular, tradition modern, or community individual. It is now widely recognised that religion and cultural traditions do not simply disappear from public life with economic development. In countries like India, this shift has also been reinforced by the emerging social and political trends where issues relating to citizenship rights along with those of inclusive and just development are raised through identity movements by the historically deprived categories of the Dalits, Adivasis, and religious minorities such as the Muslims.

This positive view of religion parallels changing attitudes in other parts of the world as well. Enhanced flows of labour accompanying the processes unleashed by the onset of globalisation have produced hitherto unknown levels of diversities of cultures and communities almost everywhere in the contemporary world. The neo-migrant is not only visible and culturally different from the native but also arrives with aspiration for citizenship rights and equal status. Growing religious diversity is an obvious and important aspect of this process, engaging with which has become a political and academic imperative.

In countries in the West as well as in the Global South, where the local states and other development actors find it hard to accommodate such diversities within its pre-existing secular welfare systems, they have invariably turned to the faith-based organisations, along with other civil society actors, to use their potential role in enhancing development and service delivery. While these new processes and trends have renewed interest in the study of religion, rigorous social science research on religion and citizenship is still at a nascent stage. This series attempts to fill the gap by bringing together scholarly writing on this important and rapidly expanding area of research in the social sciences.

Interrogating Communalism

Violence, Citizenship and Minorities in South India

Salah Punathil

For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Religion-and-Citizenship/book-series/RC

First published 2019

by Routledge

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2019 Salah Punathil

The right of Salah Punathil to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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ISBN: 978-1-138-50568-1 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-429-42292-8 (ebk)

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To my Umma , Vaapa and Ashi

Arayars A backward caste fishing community in Kerala

Chonanmar A local usage on Marakkayar Muslims

Cintathira Mata A female legend of Mukkuvars

Chandanakkudam A traditional festival of Muslims in Kerala

Dargahs Sufi Islamic shrine

Hanafis One school of law in Islam

Jama-et Muslim religious authority

Jenmi Landlord

Jonagan Another name for Marakkayar Muslims

Kadappuram Beach or seashore

Kampavala Fishing net

Karamath Divine power

Kattamaram Fishing boat

Khatib The one who delivers sermon in the mosque on Friday

Kodiyettam A traditional festival of Muslims in Kerala

Kuthaka Tax given to the religious authority from fish catch

Kuthirappanthy Horse line

Lebbi A category of Muslims mostly living in Tamil Nadu

Lelakkar Auctioneer

Maqbara Graves of Muslim religious figures

Marakkayars A Muslim fishing community in Southern Kerala

Markab Arabic word for ship

Marumakkathayam Matrilineal

Marunnu Kinar Healing well

Methans Local usage of the Marakkayar Muslims

Moger To dive

Mukkuvars A Christian fishing community in Kerala

Muthu Pearl

Nulayas A lower-caste group in Kerala

Oorukootam Village assembly

Pradhanis Leaders

Pramanam Written proof

Puislans A Muslim fishing community of Northern Kerala

Shafis One school of law in Islam

Thekkumbhagam Southern side from the fish catch