Pogrom in Gujarat

Parvis Ghassem-Fachandi is assistant professor of anthropology at Rutgers University. He is the editor of Violence: Ethnographic Encounters.

• List of Figures vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 "Why do you leave? Fight for us!" 31 Chapter 2 Word and Image 59 Chapter 3 The Gujarat Pogrom 93 Chapter 4 The Lack of Muslim Vulnerability 123 Chapter 5 Vibrant Vegetarian Gujarat 153 Chapter 6 Ahimsa, Gandhi, and the Angry Hindu 185 Chapter 7 Split City Body 213 Chapter 8 Heterogeneity and the Nation 257 Postscript 273 Notes 283 List of Abbreviations 303 Glossary 305 References 309 Index 323

"This is an insightful and subtle account, capturing much of a moment which is already being made to be forgotten by new forms of political will and national ambition in Gujarat."--Edward Simpson, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute "The book makes a number of noteworthy contributions throughout. Foremost among these is its discussion on women, who stand at the center of all deliberations, yet are denied agency."--R. Khan, Asian Affairs "Although there have been many eye-witness accounts of the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat, in the wake of the Godhra train tragedy there has been no book-like treatment of the subject by an academic, who lived and observed the events before, during and after the pogrom. Pogrom in Gujarat fills this void admirably."--V. Venkatesan, Frontline "Pogrom in Gujarat: Hindu Nationalism and Anti-Muslim Violence in India is an original and unique contribution to the literature on the anthropology of violence. Ghassem-Fachandi's style of writing is lucid, and his arguments are based on an authoritative understanding of Gujarati society and culture (both rural and urban)."--Rubina Jasani, Journal of Church and State "The uniqueness of the book lies in the author's intimate experience of ethnic violence, which is quite exceptional for academic research on ethnic violence in India. Often written in the first person, the ethnographic narrative is powerful and extends beyond this experience into an in-depth analysis of the larger cultural context of violence in Gujarat. This book will remain a classic analysis of the politics of the Hindu right in India that draws its sustenance from the blood of the innocent."--Sanal Mohan, Social Anthropology