Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221120312
Rajit K. Mazumder
This article analyses the relationship between British colonialism and Islamic sectarianism, and its consequent impact on the Shias, the largest Muslim minority in British India. In the critical decade leading up to independence and partition in 1947, politics in British India were dominated by the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan. However, leading Shia organizations were opposed to the League’s idea of an Islamic nation and supported India’s independence without partition. Instead, they demanded that the British recognize the Shia as a Muslim minority, and thereby confer statutory protections from Sunni domination. The British government arbitrarily and unjustly ignored Shia entreaties for constitutional protections. Imperial realpolitik required the colonial state to acknowledge the Muslim League as the sole political representative of all Muslims, thus, rendering Pakistan a fait accompli. The intersection of the colonial government’s political calculations with the League’s political ambitions compelled both to discard the Shias. This study of the complex issue of minorities and their uncertain position in the nation promised for all Muslims has relevance for current debates on the nation and nationalism, on minorities and their rights, on sectarianism and majoritarianism, and on the politics of identity.
{"title":"Muslim Minority Against Islamic Nation: The Shias of British India and the Demand for Pakistan, 1940–45","authors":"Rajit K. Mazumder","doi":"10.1177/02576430221120312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221120312","url":null,"abstract":"This article analyses the relationship between British colonialism and Islamic sectarianism, and its consequent impact on the Shias, the largest Muslim minority in British India. In the critical decade leading up to independence and partition in 1947, politics in British India were dominated by the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan. However, leading Shia organizations were opposed to the League’s idea of an Islamic nation and supported India’s independence without partition. Instead, they demanded that the British recognize the Shia as a Muslim minority, and thereby confer statutory protections from Sunni domination. The British government arbitrarily and unjustly ignored Shia entreaties for constitutional protections. Imperial realpolitik required the colonial state to acknowledge the Muslim League as the sole political representative of all Muslims, thus, rendering Pakistan a fait accompli. The intersection of the colonial government’s political calculations with the League’s political ambitions compelled both to discard the Shias. This study of the complex issue of minorities and their uncertain position in the nation promised for all Muslims has relevance for current debates on the nation and nationalism, on minorities and their rights, on sectarianism and majoritarianism, and on the politics of identity.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"59 1","pages":"133 - 161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90863907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221141557
J. Mathew
Pratik Chakrabarti, Inscriptions of Nature: Geology and the Naturalization of Antiquity. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2020, xii + 263 pp., US$57. ISBN: 9781421438740.
{"title":"Book review: Pratik Chakrabarti, Inscriptions of Nature: Geology and the Naturalization of Antiquity","authors":"J. Mathew","doi":"10.1177/02576430221141557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221141557","url":null,"abstract":"Pratik Chakrabarti, Inscriptions of Nature: Geology and the Naturalization of Antiquity. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2020, xii + 263 pp., US$57. ISBN: 9781421438740.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"50 1","pages":"185 - 188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82840688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221124487
Megha Yadav
Scholars have long debated the woman question in Buddhism, in terms of the social spaces and gendered attitudes revealed by texts and traditions. In the opinion of some, Buddhism in its essence does not discriminate between male and female forms. It is the cultural baggage of the practitioners that has led to discriminatory behaviour based on the body. But others have questioned this understanding as being too simplistic and essentializing. The discourse around gender has multiple layers and contexts corresponding to developments (both philosophical and sectarian) within Buddhism. This article attempts to look at the evolution of this discourse from Early Buddhism to the early stages of Mahāyāna Buddhism and, subsequently, within Mahāyāna Buddhism. To do so, this article utilizes Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtras, and Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, juxtaposing them to analyse the evolution of the gender discourse in the philosophical world as well as in the narrative world. This study reveals that while Mahāyāna Buddhism philosophically stands upon the concept of Śūnyatā, that is, emptiness, which extends to include the illusory nature of the human body, the narrative literature carries reservations about the female body. Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra employs a narrative device of ‘sex transformation’ as part of the show of the enlightened state of the female practitioner. Despite the claims made by all these practitioners about the emptiness of the body, all these stories end with female practitioners acquiring a male body and immediately receiving their Buddhahood. This study reveals a more complex picture of conversations and interactions between Early Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism.
{"title":"Transforming the Female Body: Gender Dialectics in Early Buddhism","authors":"Megha Yadav","doi":"10.1177/02576430221124487","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221124487","url":null,"abstract":"Scholars have long debated the woman question in Buddhism, in terms of the social spaces and gendered attitudes revealed by texts and traditions. In the opinion of some, Buddhism in its essence does not discriminate between male and female forms. It is the cultural baggage of the practitioners that has led to discriminatory behaviour based on the body. But others have questioned this understanding as being too simplistic and essentializing. The discourse around gender has multiple layers and contexts corresponding to developments (both philosophical and sectarian) within Buddhism. This article attempts to look at the evolution of this discourse from Early Buddhism to the early stages of Mahāyāna Buddhism and, subsequently, within Mahāyāna Buddhism. To do so, this article utilizes Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtras, and Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, juxtaposing them to analyse the evolution of the gender discourse in the philosophical world as well as in the narrative world. This study reveals that while Mahāyāna Buddhism philosophically stands upon the concept of Śūnyatā, that is, emptiness, which extends to include the illusory nature of the human body, the narrative literature carries reservations about the female body. Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra employs a narrative device of ‘sex transformation’ as part of the show of the enlightened state of the female practitioner. Despite the claims made by all these practitioners about the emptiness of the body, all these stories end with female practitioners acquiring a male body and immediately receiving their Buddhahood. This study reveals a more complex picture of conversations and interactions between Early Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"25 1","pages":"111 - 132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77553176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221120314
Pallavi Chakravarty
In light of the seventy-fifth year of India’s independence from colonial rule and the Indian government’s announcement that 14 August will be commemorated as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’, this article connects the histories of the three nations in the Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Using inputs from archives and oral testimonies, this article will revisit the important date of 15 August 1947, to preserve the multiple meanings of the day as portrayed in official and public memories.
{"title":"Remembering a Date in the History of the Indian Subcontinent","authors":"Pallavi Chakravarty","doi":"10.1177/02576430221120314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221120314","url":null,"abstract":"In light of the seventy-fifth year of India’s independence from colonial rule and the Indian government’s announcement that 14 August will be commemorated as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’, this article connects the histories of the three nations in the Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Using inputs from archives and oral testimonies, this article will revisit the important date of 15 August 1947, to preserve the multiple meanings of the day as portrayed in official and public memories.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"11 1","pages":"162 - 179"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73351787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221120307
Shalini Shah
Kanad Sinha, From Dasrajna to Kuruksetra: Making of a Historical Tradition, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2021, pp. 548, ₹1795. ISBN: 9780190130695
{"title":"Book review: Kanad Sinha, From Dasrajna to Kuruksetra: Making of a Historical Tradition","authors":"Shalini Shah","doi":"10.1177/02576430221120307","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221120307","url":null,"abstract":"Kanad Sinha, From Dasrajna to Kuruksetra: Making of a Historical Tradition, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2021, pp. 548, ₹1795. ISBN: 9780190130695","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"122 1","pages":"180 - 182"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75647819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-27DOI: 10.1177/02576430221091368
Anamika Roy
Naman P. Ahuja, ed., Phanigiri: Interpreting an Ancient Buddhist Site in Telangana, Marg Publications and Department of Heritage Telangana, Telangana, 2021, ₹1800.00/$25.00.
{"title":"Book review: Naman P. Ahuja, ed., Phanigiri: Interpreting an Ancient Buddhist Site in Telangana","authors":"Anamika Roy","doi":"10.1177/02576430221091368","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221091368","url":null,"abstract":"Naman P. Ahuja, ed., Phanigiri: Interpreting an Ancient Buddhist Site in Telangana, Marg Publications and Department of Heritage Telangana, Telangana, 2021, ₹1800.00/$25.00.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138506798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221095441
V. Selvakumar
It is possible to identify developments from the prehistoric period onward in India that led to the formation of agro-pastoral communities, state society, and a reduction in, as well as transformation of, the hunting-gathering modes of life. The formation of caste societies saw forest dwellers, called Ādivāsis or Scheduled Tribes today, being categorized as outsiders, residing in the fringes of the habitats of caste-based settled communities and complex relationships of exchange and labour developed among them. Within caste societies, the communities that formed the labour class, now categorized as Scheduled Castes, were relegated to the bottom of the social hierarchy. Throughout history, communities such as the forest people and the labouring classes have been marginalized in the process of social formation, with little or no access to political and economic power and resources. Their histories constitute the subject of the archaeology of the margins. This article focuses on the role archaeological sources can play in the reconstruction of the histories of such marginalized communities, and also on the importance of anthropological field methods to understand their material life and culture.
{"title":"Archaeology of Marginalization in Indian History","authors":"V. Selvakumar","doi":"10.1177/02576430221095441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221095441","url":null,"abstract":"It is possible to identify developments from the prehistoric period onward in India that led to the formation of agro-pastoral communities, state society, and a reduction in, as well as transformation of, the hunting-gathering modes of life. The formation of caste societies saw forest dwellers, called Ādivāsis or Scheduled Tribes today, being categorized as outsiders, residing in the fringes of the habitats of caste-based settled communities and complex relationships of exchange and labour developed among them. Within caste societies, the communities that formed the labour class, now categorized as Scheduled Castes, were relegated to the bottom of the social hierarchy. Throughout history, communities such as the forest people and the labouring classes have been marginalized in the process of social formation, with little or no access to political and economic power and resources. Their histories constitute the subject of the archaeology of the margins. This article focuses on the role archaeological sources can play in the reconstruction of the histories of such marginalized communities, and also on the importance of anthropological field methods to understand their material life and culture.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"125 1","pages":"28 - 59"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81767249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221096426
V. Selvakumar
Ranabir Chakravarti, The Pull Towards the Coast and Other Essays: The Indian Ocean History and the Subcontinent Before 1500 CE, Primus Books, New Delhi, 2020, xiv + 326 pp., ₹1395, ISBN: 978-81-947869-4-8.
{"title":"Book review: Ranabir Chakravarti, The Pull Towards the Coast and Other Essays: The Indian Ocean History and the Subcontinent Before 1500 CE","authors":"V. Selvakumar","doi":"10.1177/02576430221096426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221096426","url":null,"abstract":"Ranabir Chakravarti, The Pull Towards the Coast and Other Essays: The Indian Ocean History and the Subcontinent Before 1500 CE, Primus Books, New Delhi, 2020, xiv + 326 pp., ₹1395, ISBN: 978-81-947869-4-8.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"31 1","pages":"93 - 98"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87299504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-01DOI: 10.1177/02576430221095579
R. Mahalakshmi
The special issue on ‘Indian Civilization: Issues and Perspectives’ seeks to interrogate a concept that has often been loosely used by historians. Generally understood in terms of continuity from very early times, there has also been a tendency to read this concept in religio-cultural terms, with specific reference to the Sanskritic brahmanical traditions, as providing meaning to Indian civilization. The four essays in this issue engage with epistemological and contextual issues that both complicate as well as clarify the concept of civilization, and especially its usage in the Indian context.
{"title":"Civilization: Historicizing a Concept in the Indian Context","authors":"R. Mahalakshmi","doi":"10.1177/02576430221095579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02576430221095579","url":null,"abstract":"The special issue on ‘Indian Civilization: Issues and Perspectives’ seeks to interrogate a concept that has often been loosely used by historians. Generally understood in terms of continuity from very early times, there has also been a tendency to read this concept in religio-cultural terms, with specific reference to the Sanskritic brahmanical traditions, as providing meaning to Indian civilization. The four essays in this issue engage with epistemological and contextual issues that both complicate as well as clarify the concept of civilization, and especially its usage in the Indian context.","PeriodicalId":44179,"journal":{"name":"Studies in History","volume":"16 1","pages":"7 - 15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86266098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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