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Recap: Baraza with Shobana Shankar

Shobana Shankar (History/Africana Studies, SUNY Stonybrook) gave a Baraza lecture on Friday January 19 titled, “Afro-Dravidianism: A Senegalese-South Indian Muslim-Hindu Enchantment.” Her lecture centered on how Afro-Dravidianism became a post-colonial project, and how religion acted as a way of doing politics. The lecture was divided into three parts, the first identifying Leopold Senghor’s intellectual path leading to Afro-Dravidianism in Senegal, the second expanding on India’s spiritual diplomacy in West Africa, and the third exploring Afro-Dravidianism’s fault lines.

Dr. Shankar argued that Dravidianism was used by Senghor as a way for him to advance his intellectual agenda against political adversaries in post-colonial Senegal. Afro-Dravidianism was used to explain the origin of humankind and the Pulaar language, citing India as the birthplace of both. Although these theories were later proven to be false, Senghor promoted the idea that the connections between Africa and India were long present in human history, while also supporting Afro-centric historicism.

Afro-Dravidianism was also used as a way to expand India’s spiritual diplomacy in West Africa. It allowed for the Indian government to reimagine their political relations in Africa following damaged relationships in East Africa. During this period, the Indian government and its diplomats perceived West Africa as opposed to Western influence, considered the region educationally developed in comparison to East Africa, and spoke of Senegalese interest in Indian philosophies and cultural heritage. Together, Indian and West African governments sought to craft and promote their countries’ spiritual and cultural representations globally.

However there were fault lines in the promotion of Afro-Dravidianism. Indians knew little of African countries, and Senegalese students in India had difficulties explaining their culture and environment back home. India was also valued by many Senegalese for its philosophical and spiritual cultures, while the country’s modernity and development was dismissed. Dr. Shankar ended the lecture asking, can a Senghorian discussion continue without Senghor?

 

CAS News Bulletin- Week of January 22, 2018