Albertina Almeida: The Uniform Civil Code
Albertina Almeida, Civil Rights Lawyer speaks how the so called Uniform Civil Code in Goa, does not address the issue of gender justice.
Category: Interventions
Jason Keith Fernandes: “ISHQ | Pride, Politics, Solidarity”
Jason Keith Fernandes was recently invited to participate in a discussion which looks on how the politics of Pride and Gay liberation in India impacts on the larger questions of citizenship of marginalised communities.
Jason Keith Fernandes: “Why Should We Be Critical about the 2018 Supreme Court Judgement Against Section 377?”
From the EPW podcast description: “A 2018 Supreme Court ruling that decriminalised queer sex was widely celebrated. Judges and petitioners framed the move as India “decolonising itself” of British legislation and beliefs. Based on an examination of the 495-pages long judgement, researcher Jason Fernandes shares with us that the court’s framing is simplistic and limited. Rather than rupture the Brahmanical nationalist project, the judgement buttresses an “ideal citizen subject of the Indian nation-state.” The insights he will share are based on an article he published in the EPW on 4 January 2020 titled “Probing into the Freedoms of Queer Liberation in India.”
Kaustubh Naik: “Pinnacle Webinar on New Education Policy 2020”
A webinar organized by the Dept. of Political Science, Goa University.
Dale Luis Menezes: Interviewed by Devsurabhee Yaduvanshi on the scholarship on the Goa Inquisition
Devsurabhee says, “His recent article on the misuse of the Inquisition for fomenting politically motivated religious sectarianism is not only an interesting read, but has far reaching repercussions on how history is perceived and its potential future reformation. This article was the focus of our conversation, and it was intriguing to say the least! He also suggested logistical solutions to overcome hurdles in conducting thorough and unbiased research.”
Amita Kanekar: “Migrant Labourers and Goa’s Political Economy”
Organized by the Dept. of Political Science, Goa University. The abstract states, “Discussion aimed to reflect on the issues of Migrant labourers in Goa and how they can be contextualised in Goa’s Political Economy. It also deliberated on how the Goan industry as well as government is dealing with the crisis caused due to Coronavirus with regards to Migrant labourers and what will be the way forward. Prof. Rahul Tripathi, HoD of Dept of Political Science, Goa University chaired this open webinar discussion. Blaise Costabir – Chairman CII Goa Council and Amita Kanekar – Architectural Historian & Novelist joined as Lead Discussants.”
Amita Kanekar: “One Nation, One Narrative?”
“Flashpoint 2019: One Nation, One Narrative?” Naresh Fernandes, Patricia Mukhim and Amita Kanekar in conversation with Samar Halarnkar at Goa Arts and Lit Fest, 2020.
Amita Kanekar: “Fear of Lions”
Courtesy: Rajat Ghai, Down to Earth.
Author Amita Kanekar, whose book Fear of Lions deals with the Satnami Rebellion during the reign of Emperir Aurangzeb, spoke to Down To Earth about the conditions which led to the peasant revolt. Excerpts.
After a book on the Buddha, you have now written one on the Satnami Rebellion. Did you see any underlying similarity?
I have been researching on struggles for social transformation in South Asia, and why they seem to have failed. But there are around 2000 years between the Buddha’s time and that of the Satnamis. So obviously, things would have changed—the political system, economy, social culture. Even caste evolved with time and the varied struggles against it also came under pressure from the arrival of Islam, and more recently, at least for Hindustan, of Christianity. The Buddha’s was a time of the rise of caste, declining tribal societies, early agriculture, a burst of urbanisation, and new states-turned-kingdoms, a time of dramatic change when many people might have still remembered a different life and different freedoms. These memories might have inspired some of the ideas of Buddhism, like nibbana (nirvana). The Satnami rebellion was a time of entrenched caste society. But there were radical thinkers like Raidas, Kabir and Nanak, at least partly thanks to the spaces created by Islam, and also rulers like the early Sultans who were less enamoured by Brahmanism than the Mughals. But even the Mughals were better than the rulers who followed them and upheld Brahmanism with a vengeance.
There were several insurrections during the reign of Aurangzeb, including one by Jat peasants in Mathura. Why did you decide to write on the Satnamis?
Irfan Habib has mentioned that the Satnamis were one of the few overtly anti-caste movements in South Asian history. They managed to overcome caste divides and created a small but radical new society which, however, was finally forced to take up arms against the authorities and was then crushed. Given that caste remains at the heart of all the problems of South Asian society even today—also this movement is almost unheard-of among lay people—this seemed like a good topic to write about. Most other rebellions during Aurangzeb’s time were led by zamindars and local landlords, wanting high positions in the empire or independent kingdoms. But the Satnami rebellion was led by people who were considered nobodies and whose aim was to create a more rational and just society.
There have been several slave and worker revolts throughout history? Do you see race, religion and caste on the same level when we compare these uprisings?
Babasaheb Ambedkar has a convincing argument on why caste is worse than most other forms of oppression, including slavery. Religion has been one of the means of justifying caste, race and class oppressions, but it has also been—especially the modern religions—a means of fighting such oppression. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are believed to have originated as socio-spiritual movements for change in the real world, and were radically based on shared ideologies, not shared background or birth. Hinduism, in contrast, is based—both in theory and in practice—on caste.
