Saintly visions

Other histories and history’s others in the medieval ruins of Delhi

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7212917
AutoresAnand Vivek Taneja (0000-0002-0544-4597, Columbia University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2012
Volumen49
Número4
Páginas557-590
Fecha de publicación2012-11-20
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Indian Economic & Social History Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0019-4646 • E-ISSN: 0973-0893
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0019464612463843
OpenAlexW1969510097
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas9
Referencias citadas25

This article is centrally concerned with understanding the perceived presence of Muslim saintly figures at various medieval ruins in contemporary Delhi. I explore how popular relationships with these ruins, centred on the presence of the saint-figures, are not ‘historical’, but still indicate meaningful connections to the medieval past. To understand these connections, this article explores the epistemological and ontological privileging of the imaginal (manifesting as dreams and visions) in Islamicate thought and everyday life, arising from the influence of Ibn ‘Arabi, by looking at both contemporary popular practices and beliefs around these ruins, as well as the significance of these ruins in Urdu antiquarian and literary texts from the early twentieth century. I argue that the ontological primacy of the imaginal is also inextricably connected to an ethics of diversity and non-sectarian ideals of justice. The imaginal becomes increasingly important for connecting to the past in the aftermath of colonial and post-colonial state violence, not only because of the destruction of the usual (discursive) modes of historical memory, but also because it poses a moral vision of the pre-modern past against the violence of the modern (state). This article ends by suggesting that the rituals around these ruins create a sensory and affective ‘archive’ of the city’s history that needs to be explored further

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Economic Justice · Literature · Sociology · State (computer science · Vision · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · History · Law · Philosophy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies