The Siddis of Karnataka: Religiosity, Africanity and the Struggle Against Discrimination

In the interior of Karnataka state, in the region’s small villages or dense forests, live several thousand Afro-descendants. These Siddis, as they are called, have generally been treated with contempt by non-Siddi Indians living in the surrounding area. The population is divided into three religious...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Hofbauer, Andreas [UNESP]
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repositorio:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/307716
Acceso en línea:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21619441.2024.2442787
https://hdl.handle.net/11449/307716
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:African diaspora
caste and race
India
Descripción
Sumario:In the interior of Karnataka state, in the region’s small villages or dense forests, live several thousand Afro-descendants. These Siddis, as they are called, have generally been treated with contempt by non-Siddi Indians living in the surrounding area. The population is divided into three religious groups: Christian, Hindu and Muslim. It was only as part of the struggle against discrimination that formerly entrenched boundaries and senses of belonging started to be challenged and redefined and new perspectives of identification emerged, including the connection with African diasporic networks. This article seeks to analyse the role played by religious factors in Siddi lives, how they have helped or hindered the struggle to obtain specific rights, and how the population has been affected in this process. Hence, the relationship between religion and caste and between religion and “race” will also be explored.