Pīrs and Politics in Punjab, 1937-2013

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3624342
AutoresAdeel Malik (0000-0001-8388-5833, University of Oxford), Tahir Malik, Tahir Nadeem Malik (0000-0002-7015-0843, National University of Modern Languages)
Año2017
Volumen51
Número6
Páginas1818-1861
Fecha de publicación2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaModern Asian Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0026-749X • E-ISSN: 1469-8099
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0026749x16000949
OpenAlexW2783488095
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas9
Referencias citadas16

This article provides a first systematic mapping of politically influential shrines across Pakistani Punjab by identifying shrine-related families that have directly participated in elections since 1937. One of the earliest entrants in the politics of pre-partition Punjab, shrine elites (pīrs) have shown remarkable persistence in electoral politics post independence. We find striking long-run continuities in the initial configuration of religion, land, and politics fostered during colonial rule and embodied in political shrines. Exploring possible mechanisms of this persistence, we emphasize the role of shifting political alliances, repeated military interventions, marital ties among shrine elites, and preservation of political brokerage. Defined by their privileged 'origins and associations' and organized as a group with a strong sense of solidarity around protecting common interests, the pīrs are a key component of Punjab's power elite, the study of which is central to understanding the genesis and persistence of elites and institutions

Colonial rule · Democracy · Electoral politics · Elite · Independence (probability theory · Partition (number theory · Persistence (discontinuity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Solidarity · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Politics and Society in Latin America