Identity Narratives and Democracy: Invoking the Memory of Peace and Violence in India

A public talk by Prerana Srimaal, Head of Liberal Arts Program at CHRIST university, Bangalore. The talk is organized by the project "Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from MENA" under the school of GAPP, focusing on the narrative of Identity-and how, over periods of history, 'identity' along with memory has been used as a tool for not only peace and cultural awakening but also violence and justification of various mass atrocities-discussing its ideological foundations and historical evolution. Identity, and the politics of it, is a topic of enormous contemporary relevance, with implications for the construction of national identity and the responsibilities of the international community. While the focus will be on the creation and application of identity, due to its centrality within democracy and democratic societies-historical, cultural, and social contexts, along with the spatial, cultural, and political memories they engender, will also be considered in the discussions. In an attempt to analyze how the memory of peace and violence has been used and abused for identity, memory, and other political ends, various historical narratives and multiple cultures of the South Asian landscape will be brought in to make a legitimate case for the same. The geographical peculiarities of the South Asian territories, historical events leading to the unique social formation of the region, and aspects of demography, religion, gender, ecology, art, literature and architecture will be discussed.