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9. Religion and Empire: Belief and Identity among African Indians of Karnataka, South India
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231 9 Religion and Empire Belief and Identity among African Indians of Karnataka, South India Pashington Obeng Introduction African Asians’ historic presence, their religio-political, cultural, and military contributions, and their changing roles during the rise, expansion , and fall of Indian empires and dynasties from medieval times to the present day, is an under-researched subject. Much of the scholarship on Indian medieval and modern imperial history scarcely discusses the significant issue of African Indians’ restructuring alliances, redefining themselves and contributing to the development of Indian kingdoms. The literature addressing the medieval and modern dynasties and empires of the Indian subcontinent tends to highlight religious, political, and military powers exercised by Bahmanis, Vijayanagars, Mughals, Reddis, Marathas, Bijapuris, Portuguese, and the British (Banaji 1932; Chanana 1960; Eaton 1978; Gordon 1993; Richards 1993). Such historiography of empires and religions in India has, at times, focused on architectural styles and on the expansion of agrarian and commercial societies but has not provided much analysis of “political forms” (Stein 1989: xii). For instance, the Mughal Empire of the 1600s was noted for its opulence and “high culture” 232 (Richards 1993: 1). Consequently, the focus of such literature has been individual rulers and their military, political, and religious institutions. Such works discuss the ideologies that undergirded the different religious and political structures, internal and external alliances, and individuals and groups that opposed the imperial systems. Those who lived under the different empires have often been cast in binary relations: either as people who only responded to the structures and ideologies of imperial forces or as people who rebelled against imperial rule. The few scholars who have called attention to the economic and political history of African Indians often stress heroic individuals such as Malik Amber (Banaji 1932; Harris 1971; Khalidi 1989; Chauhan 1995). The above works overlook the sovereign agencies of ordinary people and their religious and cultural energy, especially of minorities such as African Indians. The other shortcoming of the above approach is that it does not address either African Indians as important actors or how they contributed to the complex and plural religious landscape of India. For instance, the literature on the Karnataka African Indians categorizes them as Muslims , Christians, and Hindus (Harris 1971; Pinto 1992; Chauhan 1995), thus defining them with reference to the features and symbols of the “great” religions of the imperial regimes in India. The above categorization overlooks ways in which African Indians have appropriated local practices into their own versions of religiosity as they practiced faiths of their choice. Available literature on African Asians has often addressed their origins , settlements, and the military and political prominence of a few among them (Harris 1971; Irwin 1977; Khalidi 1989; Chauhan 1995). The economic and social plight of African Indians has also been discussed (Rao 1973; D. K. Bhattacharya 1970; Lobo 1984). However, prevalent theories of marginalization at times downplay the creative and responsible political action of the African Indians. Other aspects of African Indians that have been researched are their retention of African linguistic and cultural elements (Freeman-Grenville 1988; Gupta 1991). And finally, in addition to the above studies, Alpers (1997) argues that scholars need to research the contributions African Asians have made to shape the history, politics, and cultures of their host communities. Because there is no focused study on African Indian identity formation and their religious and cultural contributions in the Indian subcontinent since the medieval period, this essay seeks to address that neglect. The chapter therefore goes further to provide insight into how ordinary or “folk” African Indians employ their beliefs and practices to reinforce and reproduce boundaries based on status in such a highly stratified society . In the process, they sometimes develop and promote new identities and a consciousness outside of the modern imperial religious, caste, and Pashington Obeng [54.165.248.212] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 13:30 GMT) Religion and Empire 233 class structures. In the context of imperial religion and politics African Indians formed and negotiated their own private and public spaces within the larger structure of Indian society. They were, and still are, actors in their own right within their realms. African Indians have over the past four hundred years played many roles in the Indian subcontinent. This essay examines how African Indians of Karnataka in south India, like their forbearers, have been forging relationships, redefining themselves , and articulating their agency by drawing on both Indian and African religious and cultural resources. The African Indians among whom my research was...