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Bayan College, Oman
Title:Transoceanic Creole Practices and Gendered Kinships: A Study of Women’s Participation in the Siddi Cultural and Spiritual Practices in Gujarat
The term ‘Siddi’ refers to the Afro-Diaspora community in India, which traces its ancestry from parts of eastern Africa, such as Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania. During the 13th century, they arrived in Gujarat with the Islamic invaders as slaves, harem-keepers, army guards, palace guards, and musicians. Eventually, they settled in Gujarat, and their eastern African ancestral traditions intersected with the local Sufi Islamic practices, giving birth to Afro-Sufi cultural and spiritual traditions. The Afro-Sufi cultural traditions are practiced during their religious festivals (Urs) and musical performances (Dhamaals and Zikrs). Within these practices, the gender dynamics of the Siddis, especially with the participation of women in these festivals and performances, are an essential aspect to engage with. Generally, within the Siddi community, the position of the women is confined to households and domestic work, with very few refuting the patriarchal norms and working in banks, hospitals, and schools. In such restrictive circumstances, spiritual rituals like Mai Misra’s Khichdi, centrally organized by the Siddi women, serve as momentary spaces for gendered kinships. This lecture will explain how the transoceanic Creole practices of Mai Misra worship unfold possibilities of gendered kinships amongst the Siddi women in Gujarat.
Sayan Dey is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Studies, Bayan College (affiliated to Purdue University Northwest), Oman. He is also a Faculty fellow at the Harriet Tubman Institute, York University, Canada. His latest monographs are Green Academia: Towards Eco-friendly Education Systems (Routledge, 2022) and Performing Memories, Weaving Archives: Creolized Cultures across the Indian Ocean (Anthem Press, 2023). His areas of research interests are posthumanism, decolonial studies, environmental studies, critical race studies, culinary epistemologies and critical diversity literacy. He can be reached at www.sayandey.com