Papers by Maurits Hassankhan
The age of imperialism ushered in a new phenomenon of large-scale organized migration of labourer... more The age of imperialism ushered in a new phenomenon of large-scale organized migration of labourers through the systems of slavery and indenture, which were devised to feed the colonial political-economy. Another feature of such migrations was that it led to the permanent settlement of the uprooted African and Asian labourers in the new lands. These developments, in the long run, intertwined the histories of the 'ruler' and the 'ruled' , the so-called 'civilized' and the 'uncivi lized' along with the people from various continents, thus giving rise to plural societies. The narratives, however, remained dominated by the colonial legacies and frames of reference. Today such historical colonial narratives are being challenged and clarified through multi disciplinary academic engagements. The authors in this volume take gender as a prominent analytical category and raise new questions and understandings in the way we conceptualize, document and write about gendered migrations in the diaspora. Farzana Gounder is a linguist and Deputy Head of School (Research) at IPU New Zealand Tertiary Institute. Her research area is oral nar ratives of indenture and their role in the collective memory.
Abstract This chapter provides a descriptive-analytical introduction to the settlement and develo... more Abstract This chapter provides a descriptive-analytical introduction to the settlement and development of the Hindustani Muslim community in Suriname, who, together with the Javanese, constitute the bulk of the country’s Muslim population. Islam was first brought to Suriname by African slaves during the transatlantic slave trade and “reintroduced” by indentured Indian migrants in the nineteenth century, as was the case in the wider Caribbean region. Although Islam is a universal religion based on the Quran and Hadith, Muslim beliefs and practices vary as they embrace local cultures. Muslims in Suriname brought with them practices from their home country, and these too varied to some extent according to ethnic, language, class and regional origins. There were many cultural similarities between Muslim and Hindu migrants who, despite tension from time to time, particularly in the 1930s and around the partition of India in 1947, largely developed as one ethnic group in Suriname. The establishment of a united Hindustani political party in 1949 attests to this. Religion and culture are never static and the attempts by reformists from the 1960s to “purify” Islam by eradicating it of its Hindu and Indian practices, has impacted on Muslim identities. Even as some Hindustani Muslim became more secular in their outlook, others embraced these ideas and this is evident in their dress, consumption habits, beliefs and practices. To date, however, there is no serious rooting of fundamentalism of the radical Islamic State kind and Muslims continue to live in harmony with other racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Suriname
Legacy of Slavery and Indentured Labour, 2016
De erfenis van de slavernij
Na de afschaffing van de salvernij kreeg Surimme meer dan vòórbeén het karakter van een gesegment... more Na de afschaffing van de salvernij kreeg Surimme meer dan vòórbeén het karakter van een gesegmenteerde samenleving. Naast de toen aanwézige bevolkingsgroepen werden Immigranten uit Arie aangevoerd die voor¿ en groot deel het werk van de vrijverklaaiden ...
The History of the Family, 2018
In 1826, the Dutch government decreed that slave owners in the Dutch colony of Suriname had to re... more In 1826, the Dutch government decreed that slave owners in the Dutch colony of Suriname had to register all enslaved persons in their possession and all changes in ownership. Registration was done in a central register until the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. The registers give a continuous overview of the enslaved population in Suriname stretching for more than three decades. The level of information on the enslaved population of Suriname make the slave registers into an exceptional source for the study of slavery. As part of the project Make the Surinamese slave registers public a database of these registers was created. The database is the first step to create a Historical Database of Suriname (HDS) covering a substantial part of the population of Suriname between 1830 and 1950.
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Papers by Maurits Hassankhan