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Religion as practice, religion as identity: Sufi dargahs in contemporary Gujarat

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 11:46 authored by Carolyn Heitmeyer
The role of religion in contemporary Gujarat remains both contradictory and highly contested: the rise of politicised Hinduism and Islamism, which has gained strength in recent decades, remains at odds with the many forms of everyday religious practice which blur the boundaries of more reified religious doctrine. This article examines the practices around Sufi shrines in a commuter town in Central Gujarat and, in particular, the lives of three pirs (saints) who maintain a significant following among different religious communities. Through an analysis of the precarious position of Sufi shrines in contemporary Gujarat, I will suggest that Islam has, much akin to Hinduism, become a site of contestation in which the politics of identity formation do not necessarily sit easily with everyday beliefs and practices that continue to be widely practised. As such, the article seeks to problematise widespread assumptions which often conflate religion as a personal experience with its role as a marker of social and political identity.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies

ISSN

0085-6401

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

3

Volume

34

Page range

485-503

Department affiliated with

  • Anthropology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-06-14

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