In this upcoming Sussex Development Lecture, guest speaker Dr Santhosh analyses the recent socio-economic and religious transformation of the traditionalist Sunni Muslims in the South Indian state of Kerala by focusing on their development trajectories and imaginations.
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In the popular and scholarly narratives, Sunni Muslims in Kerala were often portrayed as anti-modern and obscurantists, especially when compared to the Salafi-inspired reformists in Kerala, who were seen as progressive and modern.
However, in the past few decades, the traditionalists have undergone a significant transformation by redefining their theological positions and aggressively charting new developmental paths through entrepreneurial activism.
A new class of Sunni ulama (Muslim scholar), identifying themselves as ‘turbaned professionals,’ spearheads these developmental and entrepreneurial activities. They have initiated big educational and business projects in Kerala, such as modern education, hospitality, infrastructure and commercial sector, by combining notions of ‘traditional’ Islamic piety and individual/community progress within the economic rationale of neoliberal developmentalism.
The role of women in these developmental initiatives, given that the traditionalist discourses tend to relegate Muslim women to domestic spheres will also be explored.
The traditionalist development imaginations reflect the changing nature of Islamic activism in Kerala and force us to revisit the relationship between religious communities, nation-states and development in a neoliberal economy, which will be explored in this lecture.
Speaker
Dr R Santhosh, Associate Professor of Sociology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India and British Academy Visiting Fellow, University of Sussex.
Chair
Prof Filippo Osella, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex.
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How to find the venue
The venue of this Sussex Development Lecture is in the Arts A building on the University of Sussex campus, on level one. As you will be able to see on the University campus map (pdf) this is opposite the IDS building.
Figure 1: Google map image of the Arts A building from IDS
Find the location of lecture theatre A1 within the Arts A building.
Accessibility
View accessibility information about Lecture Theatre A1 of the Arts A building on the University of Sussex campus. Please note that the wheelchair accessible route to the lecture theatre is via Library Square.
If you have any accessibility requests, please email IDS events.
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