Sunday, Feb 22, 2004
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | New Delhi
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, FEB. 21 .Accusing the Centre of propagating and patronising historians who were supportive of a "different history which validates the ideology of religions nationalism", eminent historian Romila Thapar today took a dig at a section of the diaspora who was facing the "problem of self-projection" in its homeland. "Nationalism focuses on the link between power and culture and seeks to use culture in its access to power. Culture becomes a euphemism for power. The redefinition of Indian culture as essentially Hindu and of the Upper Caste has also become the ideology of a section of the Hindu diaspora. It is a rich diaspora, and as a wealthy patron it intervenes in the politics of the homeland," she said delivering the Seventh D.T. Lakdawala Memorial Lecture here on "The Future of the Indian Past". According to Prof. Thapar, who is emeritus professor of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University here, for such "long-distance nationalism" the culture of the homeland becomes an abstract construction. "There are fantasies about the past of the homeland, some of which are a response to confrontations with the culture of the host country. Migrants are minorities in the host country which is a problematic status to come to terms with if they have been part of the majority in the home country. To the degree that the rewriting of history is a political act, history becomes the ground of contestation." Those in the diaspora were also seeking a bonding and an identity. This was sought to be derived from religious nationalism, and therefore the Hindu past had to be viewed - consistently and uniformly - as a golden age, and no critique was allowed, she said and added: "There are virulent attacks on scholars who do not support religious nationalism. But scholarship has to be contested through scholarship and through political polemics. There is, therefore, a link between religious nationalism in the home country and its manifestation in the diaspora." Stating that there was no way to protest religious nationalism through religion and culture, Prof. Thapar said: "There now has to be an awareness of the need to monitor curriculum procedures and the quality of textbooks, with a constant effort to keep the discussion on these open and active. At the same time, the universe of discourse on Indian history and the human sciences, among academics both in India and outside, will have to be maintained through protecting the right to free expression." "Historical writing across the intellectual and academic spectrum has to be available to whosoever wants to read it. There can be no concession to the claim that a history propagating religious nationalism is the only way to protect the religion and culture of Indian society. Protection lies in preventing the closing of the Indian mind," she added.
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