The Hindu : National : Imposition of singular identities foments violence, says Nobel laureate Amartya Sen

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Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

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Imposition of singular identities foments violence, says Nobel laureate Amartya Sen

Staff Correspondent

"There are a great variety of identities to which we simultaneously belong"

PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

THROWING NEW LIGHT: N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu , and Najam Sethi, Editor-in-Chief, The Friday Times, Pakistan, jointly release a book by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (right) at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen's latest book Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny, was jointly released here on Tuesday by Najam Sethi, Editor-in-Chief of The Friday Times and Daily Times of Pakistan, and N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu group of publications.

Professor Sen said the contents of the book were influenced by the violent events and atrocities of the last few years, including the September 11 attack, and the responses to it that had ushered in a period of violent conflict.

Criticising what he termed the "solitarist approach" of understanding the world in terms of religion, and therefore civilisations, Professor Sen underlined the need for people to reflect on their identities. "There are a great variety of identities to which we simultaneously belong. I can be, at the same time, an Asian, an Indian citizen, a Bengali with Bangladeshi ancestry, an American or British resident, an economist, a dabbler in philosophy, an author, a Sanskritist, a strong believer in secularism and democracy, a man, a feminist, a heterosexual, a defender of gay and lesbian rights, with a non-religious lifestyle; from a Hindu background, a non-Brahmin, and a non-believer in after-life."

Recalling Hindu-Muslim riots that he had witnessed as a child, Professor Sen said violence was fomented by the imposition of singular identities on people, and the sense of inevitability about an allegedly unique identity that we are supposed to have. He said our shared humanity can be "savagely challenged" when our manifold identities are unified. Professor Sen highlighted the critical role of choice in the determination of our significant identities. "Since we belong to many groups the importance we attach to each must be partly a matter of choice," he said.

He pointed out that he was concerned with the intellectual roots of global violence and the contribution that could be made to conceptual clarity to defeat this. Professor Sen pointed to the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who resented the British depiction that he was a spokesperson of only upper class Hindus, and who made a powerful plea to the British rulers to see the diverse identities of Indians. "His farsighted refusal to see a nation as a federation of religions and communities belongs to any secular vision," said Professor Sen.

Mr. Ram said the book was an important contribution to the understanding of a major challenge facing the world and the flawed policies adopted by governments to tackle this.

The book has been released by Penguin Books, India.

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