The context of Ethnicity - Sikh Identity in a Comparative Perspective

by Dipankar Gupta

The Context of Ethnicity questions the widely held conceptualization of nation-states and ascriptive identities, through a study of Sikh extremism in the Punjab. The book argues that contrary to popular opinion, regional sympathies can co-exist with nationalist loyalty. In this book the author maintains that viewing ethnic conflict in terms of cultural exclusiveness and intolerance prevents us from comprehending how friends and enemies switch sides radically even within a relatively short span of time. The book argues that ethnic identities are not fixed and permanent, but are dynamic and have to be properly located within specific sociological co-ordinates. To this end, Dipankar Gupta uses ethnographic material relating primarily to the Punjab problem, with comparative references to the Shiv Sena movement, on which he has done considerable work. The author argues for a triadic framework where the interaction between warring dyads is contextualized by the thematics of the nation-state. He thus attempts to separate ethnicity from the related phenomena of communalism and fundamentalism.

241 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 1996

Reviews

[Binit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is oddly structured in the sense that the writer's major theoretical arguments come towards the end of the book. One may also feel that the empirical materials and theoretical points are not neatly interfaced enough to make a smooth reading. Be that as it may, Gupta makes some interesting arguments in the book. One of them is his argument against the idea of fluid identities in the pre-modern period. According to Gupta, people had clear sense of identity prior to the modern period as well. This is however not to say that identity is stable and immutable. In fact, he takes pains to demonstrate, primarily through his Sikh materials, that identities undergo change in accordance with the context. He advocates for a triadic framework to study the dynamics of identity, in which the triadic node is occupied by the nation-state.

Gupta writes that historical consciousness in a society came with the modern period which also enabled groups of people to use history to make specific political claims. The distortion of history, however, is not only done by the identity partisans to suit their agendas but also by secular historians. The latter, according to him, have the reputation to overemphasize inter-religious amity in the pre-modern period and thereby, giving an impression that the rivalry between Hindus and Muslims in the context of India started only after the coming of the British in the region. He clarifies, apart from the story of peaceful co-existence, there had also been episodes of violence between the two religious communities. The amity and co-operation between the two communities existed only when there was clear political hierarchy in place, argues Gupta. Many Hindus, for example, were trustfully employed in the Mughal courts and they were not discriminated against on account of their faith. This could happen only because there was a clear political hierarchy in which the Muslims were located atop and Hindus below them. The parties in question had no confusion about this. Once their position at the top was entrenched, Muslim rulers had no qualms in promoting Hindus - which would also demonstrate the rulers' benevolence.

It was only when the hierarchies were not clear in any given context, Hindus and Muslims would fiercely fight with each other. One of the consequences of the British Raj was exactly that - the British style of government blurred the local hierarchies by projecting a neutral stance towards the Hindus and Muslims. In principle, the British introduced political equality which significantly disturbed the prevailing political configuration and threw open the political field to a range of contestations between the Hindus and Muslims. In the later part of the book, Gupta makes a case against postmodernism and also, presents his exegesis on fundamentalism. I am not sure if this book would appeal to general readers but it is a significant read for those interested in the questions of identity as a scholar.