Faith Healing at a Muslim Shrine in Gujarat, India: Exploring the Site, Subject, and Ghost A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2019 SABAH M I SIDDIQUI SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT LIST OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................................. 5 LIST OF IMAGES ................................................................................................................................................ 5 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................................. 7 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................... 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................. 9 THE AUTHOR ....................................................................................................................................................11 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION AND TRANSLATION .............................................................................. 12 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 15 1.1 What is Faith Healing? ........................................................................................................................ 15 1.2 Faith Healing in India .......................................................................................................................... 17 1.3 Literature Review ................................................................................................................................. 19 1.3.1 Anthropological approaches ...................................................................................................... 19 1.3.2 Psychological approaches ......................................................................................................... 22 1.3.3 Thematic approaches ................................................................................................................. 23 1.4 Rationale for the research ................................................................................................................ 29 1.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................ 30 1.6 Plan of the thesis ................................................................................................................................. 31 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 33 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 33 2.2 Setting the scene ................................................................................................................................ 33 2.2.1 Introducing Mira Datar Dargah in Unava ............................................................................. 35 2.3 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 40 2.3.1 Modular approach to research ................................................................................................ 40 2.3.2 Modules and Methods .............................................................................................................. 43 2.4 Ethical considerations ....................................................................................................................... 48 2.5 Subjective considerations ................................................................................................................ 49 2.5.1 Note on voice of the researcher .............................................................................................. 50 2 SECTION I – SITATION .................................................................................................................................. 51 POSITIONALITY .............................................................................................................................................. 52 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 52 3.2 Dilemmas of the field ........................................................................................................................ 52 3.3 Positionality ......................................................................................................................................... 55 3.4 A reverse conclusion: Equalising positions.................................................................................. 59 HISTORY .......................................................................................................................................................... 62 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 62 4.2 Starting fieldwork in Gujarat ........................................................................................................... 62 4.3 Islam in medieval Gujarat ................................................................................................................ 65 4.4 Dargahs and syncretism ................................................................................................................... 69 4.5 Communal conflict.............................................................................................................................. 71 4.6 Conclusion: Embodying conflict ..................................................................................................... 73 SITE ................................................................................................................................................................... 76 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 76 5.2 The spatial turn ................................................................................................................................... 77 5.3 The process of generating maps .................................................................................................... 79 5.4 Types of topography ......................................................................................................................... 82 5.5 Caste as master signifier .................................................................................................................. 86 5.6 Siting theory: Dalit Standpoint ........................................................................................................ 91 5.7 The value of syncretism .................................................................................................................... 95 5.8 Misplaced methods ........................................................................................................................... 97 5.9 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 99 SECTION II - SUBJECTIVATION ................................................................................................................. 101 NARRATIVE .................................................................................................................................................... 102 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 102 6.2 The narrative turn ............................................................................................................................. 102 6.3 The process of generating narratives ......................................................................................... 104 6.4 Troubling the subject ....................................................................................................................... 107 Narrative 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 107 Narrative 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 113 3 Narrative 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 121 Narrative 4 ............................................................................................................................................