Ethnic and religious rivalries are major sources of conflict in
South Asia and interpretations of the past are integral parts of
the conflict. Udayakumar and his contributors provide a careful and
comprehensive analysis of the interface between history writing,
identity constructions, and intergroup relations. Providing a range
of theoretical deliberations, they examine specific South Asian
conflicts such as the Kashmir issue, Hindu-Muslim conflict,
Sinhalese-Tamil strife, and the human rights struggles of oppressed
castes.
With a view to understanding the ethnic and religious rivalries
that have come to be a major source of conflict in South Asia,
Udayakumar and his contributors analyze the interface between
interpretations of the past, identity construction practices, and
intergroup relations.
With general theoretical perspectives, contributors help to
explain the various ethnic conflicts in South Asia and other parts
of the world. The role of history, narratives, and violent
pathologies in those conflicts are also explained. Some of the most
prominent South Asian conflicts such as the Kashmir decision,
Ramjanmabhumi temple, and historicity of caste system in India and
the first comer controversy in Sri Lanka are analyzed in detail.
One of the major conclusions reached is that there is an element of
bigotry in certain historiographies and these bigoted histories and
ethnic/religious histrionics build on and contribute to each other
and thrive in certain environments. Elevating this debate to a more
political level, the essays highlight the role of human agency in
the decision to remain handcuffed to bigoted histories or to be
more aware and struggle for new beginnings. They also examine the
prospects and possible means of negating the unity of history and
metanarratives (with their characteristic pathologies and violence)
and proliferating many histories told from diverse perspectives.
This book is a stimulating collection for scholars, students, and
researchers dealing with South Asian history as well as current
ethnic, political, and military tensions in the region.
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