Abstract
The paper seeks to understand the patterns of changes among the Hajj pilgrims in Malabar Littoral during the colonial period. It looks into the institutionalised medical regulations of the British, like that of the quarantine, among the Hajj pilgrims who were travelling to Mecca and how they implemented the new health regulations, specifically in Malabar Littoral. the paper explores the other British policies such as Port restrictions, the Issue of medical certificates and how it created an imbalance in the movement of pilgrims along the Malabar coast. The paper delves into how the British tried to interfere in the religious front of the Muslim subjects, and the process of imposition of restrictions on the movement of the pilgrims along the Malabar shore in the form of institutionalised directives related to health. The period of study is from 1800 to 1947, during which the British introduced more regulations related to quarantine rules among the Hajj pilgrims. The major reason for introducing the quarantine regulations among the pilgrims was due to the larger response from the colonial metropolis regarding the spreading of various contagious diseases, Cholera being one of the most important. It chart how British knowledge production changed over time, being affected by wider concerns that ranged from the threat of epidemic diseases, and political changes in the Hajj such as the shifts from Ottoman to Hashemite then to Saudi control. It explains how the colonial knowledge of Hajj pilgrims has consolidated; the ways in which information was gathered
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
MALABAR, MAPPILAS, COLONIALISM, MODERNITY, HAJJ, RELIGION
