Partial truths: Rumor and communal violence in South Asia, 1946-1992.

Abstract

This study examines the role of rumors in generating or extending communal riots among Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh and West Bengal (India), the Bengali speaking region of South Asia. To understand the agential role of rumors it has dealt specifically with riot situations in the area between 1946-92. Rumors current during major outbreaks of communal violence were culled from different sources like newspapers, archival sources, memoirs and biographies and through open interviews with informants. They were analyzed for the stories that they tell including the traces of memory which were inscribed and which served as historical trope for violence. Two types of rumors are distinguished, stock rumors and contingent rumors. The former are recurrent and often serves to trigger memories which calls for retributary action. The latter are specific to particular situations and have a bearing upon them. Rumors are discussed with reference to riot situations, as unlike at other times, rumors are integrated into the narrative of violence and thus become accessible to researchers. It was found that rumors became narratives of incitement in situations of communal distrust, when the channels of communication between communities were blocked or the state's credibility was undermined. In such situations stories confirmed deeply held beliefs and stereotypes. Violence then was the result of objectification of the community. Rumors were not entirely false or untrue but were bearers of messages that homogenized communities. The memories that rumor invoked in crisis situations served to provoke violence among communities making it a volatile mode of speech.