Intimate Transgressions and Communalist Narratives: Inter-religious romance in a divided Gujarat

Abstract

In this article, I examine the seeming paradox of Hindu–Muslim romantic affairs in the wider context of communalism in Gujarat in the wake of the 2002 anti-Muslim violence. At the outset, such affairs appear to embody the most extreme form of taboo, both in their defiance of conventional arranged marriage systems (where caste endogamy and shared religious affiliation play a paramount role) as well as in the wider socio-political context in which Hindus and Muslims are viewed as irreconcilable enemies, or at least oppositional in lifestyle, beliefs, and values. Yet, while media reports in recent years have highlighted similar cases of transgressive liaisons elsewhere in India which have been met with extreme violence, the couplings which I describe in this article, are in practice tolerated by kin and neighbours as an ‘open secret’ which, while public knowledge, has not incurred strong retribution. While love has often been presented as a force for emancipation from the constraints of social conventions and norms in the popular media, I argue that this ‘toleration’ of inter-religious liaisons in the cases I describe suggests the very opposite: namely, that they do not present a significant challenge to entrenched social divisions at the local level.

Above and beyond social boundaries: Everyday life of Mixed Muslim–non-Muslim families in contemporary societies Au-delà des frontières sociales : le vécu des familles mixtes musulmanes-non-musulmanes dans les sociétés contemporaines

“…Both in Lebanon and Israel, sectarianism remains the easiest way to talk about difference mainly because of experiences of war, political violence, and spatial segregation. Other studies on countries marked by a long cohabitation between Muslims and non-Muslims have been conducted in sub-Saharan countries (Crespin-Boucaud, 2020; Igundunasse and Fatunji, 2015; Nolte, 2020), the countries of the former Yugoslavia (Mrdjen and Bahnik, 2018), or India (Heitmeyer, 2016; Wadhwa, 2019). With the exception of some authors who examine the lives of young adults growing up in inter-religious families (Wadhwa, 2019), most of these authors focus on the couples.…”

“…Tant au Liban qu’en Israël, le sectarisme reste la manière la plus commune pour évoquer cette différence et ce, en raison des expériences de guerre, des actes de violence politique et de la ségrégation spatiale. D’autres recherches réalisées dans des pays marqués par une longue cohabitation entre les populations musulmanes et non-musulmanes ont été menées dans les pays subsahariens (Crespin-Boucaud, 2020; Igundunasse and Fatunji, 2015; Nolte, 2020), les pays de l’ex-Yougoslavie (Mrdjen and Bahnik, 2018) ou l’Inde (Heitmeyer, 2016; Wadhwa, 2019). La plupart des chercheurs se concentrent sur l’études des couples, hormis quelques-uns qui se focalisent sur l’étude des conditions de vie des jeunes adultes qui grandissent dans des familles interreligieuses (Wadhwa, 2019).…”

“…In the Moroccan context, the links between colonization and interracial relationships (Phipps, 2022) and between tourism and mixed unions (Cauvin Verner, 2016) have been revealed and have provided opportunities to explore women's sexuality. The limited research on mixed individuals raised in Muslim-majority countries analyzes racial boundaries in relation to social perception (Therrien, 2020a) and identity construction (Gilliéron, 2022b;Tanu, 2019) and Fatunji, 2015;Nolte, 2020), les pays de l'ex-Yougoslavie (Mrdjen and Bahnik, 2018) ou l'Inde (Heitmeyer, 2016;Wadhwa, 2019). La plupart des chercheurs se concentrent sur l'études des couples, hormis quelques-uns qui se focalisent sur l'étude des conditions de vie des jeunes adultes qui grandissent dans des familles interreligieuses (Wadhwa, 2019).…”

Preference for dating out-group members: Not the same for all out-groups and cultural backgrounds

“…Finally, India has a tradition of arranged marriages. However, this tradition is slowly changing and Indian young adults are now increasingly having romantic relationships before marriage (Alexander, Garda, Kanade, Jejeebhoy & Ganatra, 2006;Gala & Kapadia, 2014;Ganth & Kadhiravan, 2017) and with individuals from different backgrounds (e.g., Heitmeyer, 2016). It is therefore plausible that historical factors that have shaped intergroup relations differently in these three countries might also play differential roles in shaping intergroup dating attitudes.…”