Muslim Writers and Food in North India, 1850-1920:

• Yamane So

  Osaka University

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• Nostalgia and Uneasiness

Abstract

This paper focuses primarily on food imagery in nineteenth century printed Urdu literary works, and how it shows the uneasiness towards or accommodation of modern culture. A diverse selection of sources is examined, including memoirs of the Persianate Mughal Court and durbar in Lucknow, letters by Urdu poet Ghālib (1797-1869), religious opinions issued by the Deobandi school, and a novel by Nadhīr Aḥmad (1836-1912). These writings concerning courtly food culture give the impression of a strong nostalgia for a refined past and discomfiture regarding modernization. Although the sophisticated food culture described was only for nobles, it serves as a symbol of Indo-Muslim culture, allowing readers of the memoirs to share in the nostalgia. However, the literature also reveals a friction between the ‘traditional’ Muslim society and the new society brought by the British, as portrayed by the protagonist in Aḥmad’s novel. Crucially, matters of faith are shown as a source of uneasiness in these food writings, leading us to connect such checkered feelings with the development of religious consciousness among Indo-Muslims.

Journal

• International Journal of South Asian Studies

  International Journal of South Asian Studies 11 (0), 18-32, 2021

  The Japanese Association for South Asian Studies

Keywords

• Indo-Muslims
• British India
• Food Culture
• Urdu writings

Details

• CRID: 1390571704643644160
• NII Article ID: 130008121912
• DOI: 10.11384/ijsas.1007
• ISSN: 24343005
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Allowed