Overview

This book reveals that caste, usually assumed to be a feature of Hindu society, was in fact a trans-religious phenomenon in colonial India, as it is today. Even in an Islamic religious milieu that was supposedly more egalitarian than hierarchical Hinduism, colonial Indian subjects thought and acted in terms of caste. Through a focus on one agrarian Muslim caste known as Arains, Ashish Koul shows how some Indian Muslims transmuted caste and emplaced it within their understanding of Islam. During this time, Arain Muslims were derogatively called mali— gardener—instead of what they wished to be seen as—respectable landholders. Seeking to refute such negative portrayals, a group of elite Arains came together to develop a new Islamic vocabulary for caste.   Using primary sources in English and Urdu, Koul analyzes the intricacies of caste, religion, and politics among Muslims in colonial India. By asserting that being Arain was a way of being a true Muslim, elite Arains were able to intervene in significant debates about Muslim identity, colonial law, and political representation. Reinventing Caste shows that in order to understand why caste persists among South Asians, we must examine how caste consciousness has been entrenched within multiple religious traditions.

Full Product Details

9781503646711

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Reviews

""Ashish's Koul's history of Punjab's Arain community provides an extraordinarily illuminating window on 20th century Muslim politics in the years before the creation of Pakistan--bringing new insights to class, gender, genealogy, religious reform, elections, and much else. The modern history of the subcontinent's Muslims takes on new meanings if analyzed through the lens of a label that Arains did not generally apply to themselves--the English term 'caste."" --David Gilmartin, North Carolina State University ""Ashish Koul traces the multiple strategies of Arain caste leaders to situate themselves between the colonial government, Islamic reformers, and the Muslim League. Rich in sources and well-argued, Reinventing Caste is a milestone in the conceptualization of Muslim castes, which widely opens the field for further studies."" --Margrit Pernau, Max Planck Institute for Human Development

Author Information

Ashish Koul is Assistant Professor of History at Northwestern University.

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