The Making of Minority: Conceptual History and Sociological Complexities 

RC06- SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
SPECIAL LECTURE
The Making of Minority: Conceptual History and Sociological Complexities by Prof. Tanweer Fazal
INDIAN SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Maitrayee Choudhuri
Dr. Joseph M.T., Convenor, RC06
"The Making of Minority: Conceptual History and Sociological Complexities" by Prof. Tanweer Fazal
Abstract
In a country marked by multiplicity of faiths, speeches, castes, ethnicities and geographies, the question 'who is a minority?' is riddled with complexities. What adds to the intricacy is that each of these collectivities is segmented into status groups, sects, forms of worship, and regional variations to the extent that the difference offsets the commonality.
Nevertheless, 'minority' as a conceptual category has had a long history, coinciding perhaps with the rise of the 'nation-states' in western Europe. Theorisations centred on race, gender, religion and ethnicity invoke variables of statistics and power to outline who constitutes a minority.
This paper, without discounting the validity of existing explanations, examines the processes implied in the making of a minority. It thus, makes the case for studying the process of minoritisation which results in the forging of boundaries and symbolic construction of communities. Drawing largely from the Indian experience, the paper contends that minority-majority relations are historically contingent rather than given, and explores how violence works to re-configurate identities and induce minoritisation.