Communal Violence, Forced Migration and the State
Gujarat since 2002

This book examines the notion of citizenship for Muslims who were displaced after the Godhra violence in Gujarat in 2002.

Sanjeevini Badigar Lokhande (Author)

9781108814119, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 April 2020

227 pages
23 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.36 kg

'The book is noteworthy because it manages to carve an original path through heavily-trampled terrain; that is not to say, however, the burden of existing literature does not weigh heavily in the text. … There are a great many interviews hidden away in the book. Shining through these now-standard narratives are glimpses into the lives and tribulations of real people who experienced these events in their homes and on the streets; people who had near misses; and people who saw and heard things that they later wished they had not.' Edward Simpson, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies

When violence occurs in democracies it is often characterized as an aberration. The state that saw human rights violations and failure of law and order in Gujarat in 2002 emerged, even if by its own admission, as a model for good governance. Communal Violence, Forced Migration and the State, through an account of displaced Muslims, challenges this notion. Through the unlikely yet probing lens of displacement, it offers fresh insight into communal violence and is an important resource for the emerging domain of forced migration and the changing nature of the state in a globalized world.

Acknowledgements
Glossary of terms and abbreviations
Introduction
1. Demography and population movements in Gujarat
2. Vatani to Visthapit: violence and displacement in 2002
3. Relief instead of rights: the governance of communal violence
4. Reconstruction and rights through self-help
5. Violence and good governance
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Political ideologies [JPF], Political science & theory [JPA], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN], Violence in society [JFFE]