Subcontinental Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Citizenship in Overseas Contexts

Lecture 1

The trifurcation of India into two wings of Pakistan and India in 1947 and then the Eastern wing of the latter becoming Bangladesh in 1971 had different kinds of impact in the subcontinent from what it did to those who once were from India but had migrated overseas. Here we examine, in the main, as to how aspects of ethnicity, nationalism and citizenship unfolded, shaped, divided, and/or unified those who went over from the subcontinent to live in the West, particularly in the UK, US and France, at different points in time, both before 1947 and later.

While issues revolving around nationality and citizenship appear to be rather less complicated, ethnicity is a thick maze of interrelated and crisscrossing traits revolving around cultural aspects encompassing language, region, religion, caste, sect, and allied feature. The way some of these ethnic features are brought into play manifestly (or kept latent) make for a fascinating insight as to how  people who had common origins in terms of a single citizenship till 1947 handle citizenship aspects differently today. Add to that aspects of nationality, particularly concerning citizens of Pakistan, and we have a rich labyrinth of biradri, social networks, village and kin ties, and caste- and religion-based organisations in the overseas contexts.  

Lecture 2

Contemporary Religious Conversions in Tamil Nadu: Meenakshipuram and Beyond

During February 1981 Tamil Nadu was jolted by an event that came to be known as the Meenakshipuram Mass Conversions. Nearly two hundred Dalit families got converted to Islam in Meenakshipuram, a village in the Tenkasi taluk of Tirunelveli district in southern Tamil Nadu. Except for the Sunday Standard of the then Indian Express no other regional or national newspaper picked up the story. The Sunday Standard story itself was based on a report that was carried in the Rahnuma-e-Deccan, a Urdu newspaper of Hyderabad. But once the news got splashed ripples were felt in many places not just in Tamil Nadu but elsewhere in the country, particularly in religio-political circles. Different kinds of reports and stories sprung up and various reasons were advocated as regards the event, ranging from coercion to bribery to gulf money. Also, though gradually, fine points about upper/dominant, economically powerful caste oppression of the lower ones started coming up. Besides, conversions and threats to do so occurred in many places in Tamil Nadu in the wake of the Meenakshipuram ones. 

 The state as well as the central government despatched enquiry teams, both overtly and covertly. Their reports make interesting reading and gave, contrary to what the general public expected, a lie to the floating stories spun around force and enticement.

Now after more than twenty-five years conversions are still on in the said region and other pockets of Tamil Nadu. These have been meticulously documented, barring for about a couple of years (2002-2004), when, due to the passing of the anti-conversion law brought in by Ms. Jayalalithaa who was the Chief Minister during the AIADMK regime from 2001 to 2006, no conversions took place.