Language as a Tool of Minority Politics
Urdu, in Bihar, India, 1951–1989
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6086021 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mohammad Sajjad |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 174-190 |
| Publication date | 2014-04-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0266-6952 • E-ISSN: 1469-9591 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13602004.2014.911970 |
| OpenAlex | W2118696890 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This essay attempts to explore mass-based movement (munazzam awami tehreek) of democratic politics of the protagonists of Urdu, in post-independence Bihar, India. This politics clinched relatively greater success in persuading the provincial government to offer incentives of public employment for the Urdu-speaking population/Muslims. Compared to the adjacent province of Uttar Pradesh, apparently, the status of Urdu in Bihar is much less discouraging. A probable reason for a more assertive political movement for Urdu in Bihar is that the Muslim League's separatist politics in late-colonial Bihar was much weaker. In the post-Partition/Independence period, when it became taboo for the Muslims to express their demands on the basis of religion, language movement emerged as a convenient tool of minority politics. Essentially speaking, the “popular politics” of Urdu in its first phase (1951–1971) functioned more as a “political society”, whereas in the second phase (1971–1989), as a “civil society”, when Urdu became the second official language. This movement maintained effective links with the relevant common population. Priority was more on seeking support and patronage of the government for the language to survive rather than making efforts to see that it thrives self-reliantly, except the Madrasas
Development economics · Economics · Government (linguistics · Independence (probability theory · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · Statistics · Urdu · Demography · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2023 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |