Tanweer Fazal, Divya Vaid and Surinder Singh Jodhka’s edited book Marginalities and Mobilities among India’s Muslims: Elusive Citizenship (published by Routledge in 2023) makes a substantial contribution to the knowledge of the complicated and frequently unstable position of Muslims in modern-day India. This collection of essays examines how Muslims in India deal with their identities, citizenship, and mobility in the face of increasing marginalization and exclusion.
The idea of “elusive citizenship,” which refers to the difficulties Muslims encounter in asserting their full involvement in India’s socio-political and economic life despite being citizens by law, is the book’s main focus. This volume’s essays address common misconceptions about Indian Muslims and highlight their everyday experiences. It explores the experiences of different sectors of India’s Muslim communities in relation to social development, economic reforms, mobility, religion, law, and politics, and their journeys as citizens. Contributors, including sociologists, development economists, political theorists, and historians, use their academic expertise to create analytical frameworks and tools.
This volume comprises twelve essays, divided into three distinct sections, in addition to the introductory chapter. Three essays are included in the first section which discusses development paths. The second section which consists of five essays discusses the mobile landscapes of Indian Muslims. The last section of four essays discusses the search for citizenship in relation to violence, mobility, and marginalization. A wide range of topics are covered in the volume’s several sections. The editors present an in-depth analysis of Muslims’ place in India’s socio-political structure, covering everything from the effects of state policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the difficulties of urbanization, education, and economic mobility. Despite their official citizenship, Muslims have been marginalized as a result of state policies and the rise of religious nationalism.
The book incorporates insights from several disciplines, such as anthropology, political science, and sociology. Readers interested in the socio-political dynamics of India’s Muslim community will find it to be an intellectual and easily accessible resource as it combines theoretical analysis with empirical fieldwork.
The book’s biggest substance is its multifaceted approach to comprehending Muslims’ marginalization in India. The essays provide a detailed understanding of how marginalization functions in all areas of life by delving into cultural and gendered experiences in addition to political and socio-economic concerns. The analysis of the book is authenticated and deepened by the significant empirical evidence it draws from interviews, case studies, and fieldwork. By using personal experiences and examples, the authors provide in-depth explanations of how marginalization appears in daily life, enabling readers to relate to the concerns on a human level.
This work is relevant and significant given the present political situation in India, which is marked by the growth of Hindu nationalism and increasing sentiments against Muslims. It reveals the lived realities of a community that is increasingly marginalized by the state and society at large. The book also provides multidisciplinary views that enhance the reader’s comprehension of the complexity underlying marginalization and mobility by referencing political science, sociology, history, and anthropology.
Although the book offers a comprehensive analysis of mobility and marginalization, more attention to the positive facets of Muslim identity in India would be beneficial. The book sometimes runs the risk of reducing the Muslim experience to one of humiliation without properly addressing the Muslim community’s activity, resiliency, and contributions to Indian politics and culture, even though its emphasis on marginalization is crucial. A more comprehensive overview would have been offered by a more impartial viewpoint that also examines the agency and cultural life of Indian Muslims.
Nonetheless, the book is an essential contribution to the increasing literature of research on India’s Muslim minority. It provides a thorough and insightful examination of the difficulties Muslims encounter in claiming their citizenship, identity, and agency. The collection is an essential resource for understanding the intricate relationships between exclusion, marginalization, and resistance in modern-day India. Anyone interested in South Asian citizenship, identity, and social justice problems should read it.
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Mohd Junaid Khan is a PhD Scholar at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.