Vartan Bhanji (Gift Exchange) As Social Capital in Punjabi Village: Tradition in Transition
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THÈSE DE DOCTORAT de l’Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres PSL Research University Préparée à l’Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales Vartan Bhanji (Gift Exchange) as Social Capital in Punjabi Village: Tradition in Transition Ecole doctorale n°286 ECOLE DOCTORALE DE L’EHESS Spécialité Anthropologie Sociale et Ethnologie COMPOSITION DU JURY : M. Lyon Stephen M. Agha Khan University, Rapporteur Mme. Rivoal IsaBelle Université Paris Nanterre, Rapporteur M. Boivin Michel CNRS, MemBre du jury M. De Chiara Matteo Soutenue par Abdul Qadar INALCO, MemBre du jury le 04 12 2018 Mme. Ortis Delphine h INALCO, MemBre du jury Dirigée par Michel Boivin M. Speziale FaBrizio EHESS, MemBre du jury h Acknowledgements This thesis has emerged from a long process of efforts in multiple locations and directions. The process has incurred many debts of gratitude during all of the phases of my effort from the initial ideas to the completion of the thesis itself. The study has taken place at Amin Kot, the village where I was born, raised and made many friends besides my closest relations and Khokhran the adjacent village. Therefore, when I imagine to thank the people of my villages of study, I am well aware of my inability to acknowledge all sources of explicit, formal and non-formal support. Some people were more kind than the others not necessarily due to myself but their kindness, indeed deserves mentioning. My Uncle Zia Ahmad Khan for helping me access official records, Qamar Zaman Khan at dera, Ali Ahmad Khan as life-long mentor, and Haji Shabbir Khan along with his son Abrar Khan at Khokhran provided me with the support which I am unable to pay them back. Apart from family members I am thankful to Pir Mohsin Fareed Chishti, Jaan Muhammad Bhatti, Ghulam Nabi Khiaoh and Bhai Jahangir Ansari. After people of the villages of my study, my first and sincere feelings of gratitude go to persistent, unswerving and helping support of my supervisor Professor Michel Boivin. I must admit that this thesis would not have been possible in such smooth and timely fashion had I not been under the supervision of such supportive supervisor who remained steadfast in his belief and trust in me. The list of mentorships goes back to many sources of inspiration but the second most important influence remains the personality and guidance of Muhammad Azam Chaudhary, Director National Institute of Pakistan Studies (QAU, Islamabad). The list of many important friends who have always been instrumental in shaping my intellectual capacities is long but I limit it to the most important names who are Arslan Waheed, Muhammad Shoaib, Abdul Rehman and Zahid Nawaz Warraich as sources of permanent support. Some names which are always important for me when I am at home are Malik Asif Sarwar Khokhar, Malik Mohsin Abbas Khokhar, Zabih Ur Rehman Chaudhery and Faheem Rasheed Chaudhery. When it comes to my stay in Paris, the most important source of solace and support has been the presence of Mansoor Ahmed. Then I am greatly indebted to Bilal Hassan, Anum Qureshi and Saba Sindhri who provided me with the best possible environment outside of library and CEIAS. Some other people who made my stay in Paris as enlivening and source of entertainment are Kamran Khalid, Zeeshan Mushtaq, Matti Ullah and Hira Niazi. At CEIAS, I am indebted to my colleagues Caroline Michon for her help in French language, Jose Egas, Asad Ur Rehman and Nadia Guergaudj. This thesis has also incurred many debts to the cited authors and their books, which could not have been possible to consult without support of staff from libraries of Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et civilisations (BULAC), Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH) and Maison de l’asie. My last thanks go to my family, My mother Sakeena Bibi, my sister, my brother Ghulam Mustafa Khan and their sons and daughters, whom I missed the most. One thing, which I missed most while my stay in Paris was the innocent childhood of my nephews and nieces Usman Abdullah, Hafsa Nazir, Rida Fatima, Shaheer Hassan, Muhammad Ahmad and Ishaal Fatimah. i Dedicated to My late Father Haji Nazir Ahmad Khan, Taya Abu Muhammad Amin Khan, Mamu Haji Falak Sher Khan, My Mother, Brother, Sister, Uncles, and Phuphies. ii Vartan bhanji (L’Échange de dons) comme capital social dans un village pendjabi : tradition en transition La présente étude tente de contextualiser les schémas contemporains des forces sociales dans un village pendjabi, qui ont pour résultat des modifications des pratiques traditionnelles. En effet, il y a des modifications des structures sociales traditionnelles, mais plusieurs pratiques sociales importantes restent liées à leurs racines, ou du moins ne sont pas complètement déracinées. Ainsi, il est probable que la pratique de vartan bhanji (échange de dons) dans un village pendjabi soit un cas utile pour la compréhension des transformations des liens sociaux et leur signification social par rapport à leur rôle et leur importance historique. La présente étude tente également d’analyser les moyens et mécanismes présents, qui remplacent les pratiques traditionnelles et les rôles des différents acteurs. Par conséquent, l’étude tente de combler le fossé des questions restées sans réponse en ce qui concerne la pertinence sociale et l’importance relative des acteurs dans un environnement mouvant lorsqu’il s’agit de pratiques sociales. Par exemple, l’importance de biraderi étant donné la mutation du rôle des familles avec l’augmentation de la mobilité et sa pertinence actuelle comme capital social sera l’une des préoccupations centrales de la présente étude. Un intérêt connexe sera le rôle de la terre comme facteur important dans la vie d’un village, malgré les mutations de sa signification socio-économique. L’étude veut présenter une analyse ethnographique des défis posés à l’importance socio-économique actuelle de la terre comme seul facteur déterminant le statut social et la position économique de l’individu, qui a maintenant tendance à varier, avec une grande diversité de choix professionnels pour la population d’un village dans son ensemble. Cette diversité d’options professionnelles doit être évaluée comme un défi pour la compréhension traditionnelle de la constitution et de la préservation des seules catégories de zamindars et de kammis. Cette division entre les deux catégories sera discutée comme relevant de différentes pratiques et préférences, représentant l’une ou l’autre des catégories. Par ailleurs, à l’intérieur de cette traditionnelle structure catégorielle, l’étude a essayé de situer et de comprendre des sources de prestige et d’honneur plus récents, qui sont organisées et explicitement manifestées lors de mariages, et implicitement calculées lors des rituels funéraires. La présente étude veut demander, dans les sphères individuelles ou collectives, qui remplit quelle fonction et avec quel type d’attentes par rapport aux rôles traditionnels. Il est attendu que l’étude mettra en lumière le potentiel évolutif de facteurs de base tels que les rôles de genre, la famille et l’efficacité de biraderi dans un contexte mouvant et plus large. Mots clés : Village pendjabi, biraderi, vartan, capital social, tradition iii Vartan bhanji (Gift Exchange) as Social Capital in Punjabi Village: Tradition in Transition Thesis abstract This study contextualizes the contemporary patterns of social change in two adjacent Punjabi villages near Burewala Tehsil of Punjab (Pakistan). I have attempted to explore both the continuity and change in traditional social structure through the schematic study of the tradition known in vernacular parlance as vartan bhanji (gift exchange). The study analyzes present positions of people in broader categories of zamindars (land owners) and kammies (artisan castes), when the configuration of Punjabi personhood bargains between tradition and transition in same. Therefore, the study tries to bridge the gap of unanswered questions regarding the social relevance and comparative importance of primary actors i.e. biraderi and role of land ownership as mediating agents of both change and continuity. I have aimed to present an ethnographic analysis of the challenges to the current socio-economic importance of land as sole determinant of one’s social status and economic position, which now tends to alternate with diverse professional options for the people of both the villages of study. This comparatively recent diversity of professional options is assessed as a challenge to the traditional understanding of the formation and preservation of the sole categories of zamindars and kammies as fixed identities. Therefore, the division between both the categories and within each category is to argue the case of changing economic order and the resultant social structure as mutation of one form of Bourdieusian capital into another form. The study also probes into nature of gendered roles, which make, shape and live both marriages and deaths as peak periods of socialization. Thus, the study highlights the changing potential of primary actors like role of land, gendered positions, the family as basic unit of social organization and the contemporary importance of biradari in rural Punjab. Keywords: Punjabi village, biraderi, vartan, social capital, tradition iv Table of Contents List of Illustrations..............................................................................................................ix Note on the Transliteration................................................................................................xi