Sufi Shrines and the Secular State

Muslim Societies in South Asia Seminar

Anna B. Bigelow, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, North Carolina State University

Chair: Ali Asani, Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Director, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program, Harvard University

Sufi tomb shrines in India are well-known for their multi-religious constituencies. Yet the status of these sites is contested and ambivalent, with some groups lauding and celebrating them while others seek to undermine their diverse appeal. This presentation will compare cases of cooperation and conflict at two sites in Karnataka to explore the pragmatics of state secularism as well as local strategies of accommodation and competition.

Cosponsored with the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program