Panel 3: Religion and Crisis Management in South Asia

Chair: Santosh Kumar, University of Notre Dame

Panelists

Adam Matvya, University of Notre Dame, “Happiness and Punishment: Islamic Law, Robbery, and Prison Breaks in Early Colonial Delhi”

In early nineteenth-century British India, the colonial state’s governing ideology followed a liberal utilitarian philosophy that aimed to produce happiness through disciplinization. Concurrently, the colonial regime maintained a nominal commitment to Islamic law, a holdover from a pre-liberal colonial jurisprudential system based on Mughal constitutionalism. Colonial governmentality in Delhi prior to the 1820s was therefore characterized by a hybrid commitment to indigenous custom and authoritarian liberalism. No colonial administrator better reflected this hybridity than Charles Metcalfe, the Resident at Delhi from 1811 to 1819. Metcalfe enjoyed close relations with Muslim scholars while also harboring a reputation as a liberal authoritarian who believed Delhi was beset by lawless anarchy. Metcalfe’s personal writings reveal pervasive fears about crime—specifically nighttime robberies—that compelled him to supplement an Islamic system of punishment with extra-Islamic legal practices. This supra-sharīʿa approach was the product of a dual regime of disciplinization and emotionalization: the fear of endemic nighttime robbery and a liberal desire to cultivate happiness and security. This paper explores Metcalfe’s residency as a case study in emotions and colonial governance. It foregrounds Metcalfe’s approach to theft and prison breaks as revealed in court cases and Board of Commissioner complaints to argue that despite a nominal continuation of Islamic legal practice, the impossibility of knowing the true feelings of Muslims compelled the colonial state to enact a regime of fear. This strategy represented a dual liberal prerogative to secure its rule while producing particular emotions in colonial subjects. Moreover, I take a metropole-colony approach to argue that Metcalfe’s fears about nighttime robbery reflect a particular apprehension in the British empire about the romanticization of highway robbery around the imperial peripheries. Metcalfe’s draconian legal measures should be understood within a field of analysis that attends to emotional technologies of rule and metropole-colony relations.

 

Hasina FNU, Quaid-i-Azam University, “Glacial Rituals of Female Shamans in Gilgit Baltistan”

Gilgit Baltistan, renowned for its unique landscape and diverse culture, is encompassed by snow-capped mountains, extensive glaciers, rivers, and fruit trees. The region’s inhabitants adhere to strong values and centuries-old rituals integral to their traditions. Glaciers are considered living spiritual entities, and various rituals are performed around them, mostly by male members of society. Women are traditionally restricted from hiking up the glaciers as they are seen as sacred and pure. Only female shamans are allowed to ascend these glaciers to recharge their spiritual energies.

Shamanic traditions are deeply embedded in the history of Gilgit Baltistan. Throughout history, both male and female shamans have been consulted for predictions and decision-making, with even kings seeking their guidance. Although much research has been done on shamanic traditions, a crucial aspect – the practices of female shamans – has been missing in archives and knowledge production. This specific work focuses on the spiritual ecology associated with glaciers, where female shamans go to recharge their spiritual energies. It also analyzes how female shamans are perceived in Gilgit Baltistan and the practices they perform with glaciers to sustain their spiritual powers.