Punjabi Deras: Laboratories for State Politics?
Abstract:
Picking up the renewed focus on Punjab’s religious groups known as deras in the
run-up to the 2022 legislative election in the state, this paper builds upon the
anthropological studies on them to prepare ground for potential political
investigations. It tries to make sense of their nuanced functions and sustenance
through an etic perspective of a secular progressive citizen who is both pessimistic
and sceptical of their role in both society and politics, despite being aware of their
contribution in articulating the Sikh-dalit consciousness. To explain the material
existence and activities of these deras, this paper also borrows two concepts of
‘governmentality’ and ‘imagineering,’ and noting the expanse, plurality and
comparability of such deras, it presents them as an ideal category for the study of
state politics.
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