Sensory Life in South India: Counternarratives of Islamic Material Culture

The Islamic built environment in India is under tremendous strain today. Adherents of Hindu nationalism continue to disparage mosques in particular as “ocular reminders” of India’s Muslim past. In this fraught context, how can we understand the range of significations that such sites have for Muslims? This talk focuses on mosques on the southeastern coast of India, built in a distinctive style that is rooted in local architectural idioms. Such mosques are an integral part of the Tamil sacred landscape, indexing the region’s longstanding Muslim presence as well as histories of maritime trade and mobility. This presentation explores how the materiality of the built environment mediate people's connection to the past, and how such sites are spaces of heritage, historical consciousness, and affective resonance. In doing so, this research offers fresh insights into sensory life and religious belonging from a region that has long been considered marginal to the study of Muslim societies.

This event is free, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.

Host or Publisher Yale Institute of Sacred Music