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Perspectives on Violence and Othering in India pp 3–28Cite as

Violence and the Other: Contestations in Multicultural Societies

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Abstract

This paper argues that the process of othering is central to understanding of collective violence in multi-cultural societies. It discusses how construction of the other comes about and feeds into the construction of personal and social identities. We examine purity and ideology as two bases of otherness in the context of Indian society and discuss different types of the other. This paper ends with a discussion of processes and mechanisms that can make un-othering possible in the context of Indian society.

Homo homini lupus (Man is wolf to man).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Indian Constitution provides that individuals belonging to the educationally and socially backward caste groups will be covered under the affirmative action programme of the Government. Jobs and seats for them will be reserved in government organizations and educational institutions. In 1979 the Indian Parliament set up a Commission under the Chairmanship of B.P. Mandal-(hence, called the Mandal Commission)-to develop parameters of backwardness of caste groups. The report of the Commission led to reservation of an additional 27 % reservation in government jobs in addition to 22 % already made for the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste groups. Its implementation in 1990 led to widespread student protests in North India.

  2. 2.

    Dravid Kazhgam movement was led by Periyar KV Ramaswamy to oppose the dominance of Brahmanism and to enhance the status of the Dravidians. A political party called Dravid Kazhgam was founded in 1944 with a view to creating a new nation to be called Dravid Nadu. Similar movements which opposed Brahministic rituals and Caste system and sought social and economic equality for the lower caste were led by Jyotiba Phule (1827-1890) and Babasahab Ambedkar (1891-1956) in Maharashtra.

  3. 3.

    There have been two terrorist attacks on the offices of the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in 2011 and 2015. In 2015, 12 people were killed and several injured in the attacks. See: http://news.sky.com/story/1504408/charlie-hebdo-attacks-two-suspects-arrested, accessed June 29, 2015.

  4. 4.

    Time of India, New Delhi Edition, August 23, 2009. See :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi, Accessed February 14, 2010.

  5. 5.

    Naxalites are adherents of radical ideology of the Communist Party of India (Maoist/Marxist-Leninist) who have been in conflict with the Indian Government and the State governments. They have been active in the states of Bihar, Odissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Maharashtra. The name Naxal derives from Naxalbari, a village in West Bengal where the first Maoist uprising took place in 1967. The Naxalite violence has weakened considerably over the past few years.

  6. 6.

    Gujarat Violence in 2002 started with the burning of certain coaches of the Sabarmati Express train which resulted in the deaths of some 90+ Hindu Karsevaks who were returning from Ayodhya after visiting the disputed Ram Janmabhumi Temple. Widespread communal riots broke out after the incident killing a very large number of Muslims (around 800) and 254 Hindus and resulting in huge property damage.

  7. 7.

    Ram Janmabhumi refers to the site in Ayodhya in the state of UP, which, according to the beliefs of some Hindus, is the birthplace of Lord Ram. They believe that a temple which stood in the place was destroyed by the Mughal King Babur and a mosque erected in its place by his army general Mir Baqi. The mosque was demolished by a large crowd of Hindus in 1992.

  8. 8.

    The AFSPA was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1958, and grants the armed forces special powers to act in “disturbed areas”. There have been many allegations of human rights violations by the Indian Army in areas where it has been enforced. The AFSPA has been removed from the north-eastern state of Tripura in 2015 after 18 years.

  9. 9.

    Batla House Encounter took place in Jamia Nagar Delhi on September 19, 1998 in which some terrorists belonging to the Indian Mujahiddin were killed by the Police. A police officer too was killed in the encounter. The encounter took place subsequent to a series of bomb blasts that had taken place in Delhi and other towns. Many civil society groups and political parties came out to protest that the encounter was fake, and innocent Muslims were killed by the police.

  10. 10.

    Gandhi’s model lays down a model of development that is diametrically opposed to the model of industrial development which was subscribed to by Nehru and unrestricted exploitation of the environment. His position is reflected in the quote “the Earth provides enough for every man’s needs but not enough to satisfy every man’s greed”.

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  1. University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India

    R. C. Tripathi

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  1. ICSSR, Psychology Department, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

    R.C. Tripathi

  2. Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor of Psychology, IIT Delhi, New Delhi, India

    Purnima Singh

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Tripathi, R.C. (2016). Violence and the Other: Contestations in Multicultural Societies. In: Tripathi, R., Singh, P. (eds) Perspectives on Violence and Othering in India. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2613-0_1

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