The Kakar factor in reading Colors of Violence

A brief note as I make my way through our readings in The Colors of Violence - the author, Sudhir Kakar, is a peculiar fellow. More relevant than the oddities of his side comments (eg relaying the beginnings of a mobster joke he was formulating while waiting for an interviewee), though, is his personal bias.

I know, I know, he specifically noted the importance of considering the questioner's own bias an analyzing others, but I felt somehow that, ironically, he failed to recognize his own quite as much as he ought to have. Sure, there's no attempt to veil the bias, and the very fact that an Indian is writing a book about Hindu-Muslim violence tells you that the author is bound to be tied to one side or the other (the question is really not a matter of if we are biased, but in what way and to what extent).

Take, for instance, these two sentences in the third chapter: "The first time Mangal Singh clashed with the Muslims was in 1979. The Muslims had claimed a piece of land on the specious ground that it was an old community graveyard." ...Then later in that same paragraph, "he takes it only after work is done, not like some other pehlwans who take the money but refuse to do the work, daring the client to do his utmost. Mangal, on the other hand, is a man of principles."

Mmk. A."the Muslims" - never "Muslims," but "the Muslims." Call me crazy, and maybe some disagree, but it strikes me that the very use of this definite article immediately encourages generalization. Mangal was not simply clashing with some others who identified as Muslim; no, he was clashing with "the Muslims" - the entire group. In-group, out-group, perpetuated by the author's language. B.Perhaps it was "specious ground," but to what extent should he editorialize - a thought that goes with C."a man of principles"?

...also couldn't help but note his comment on the same page (78) that the Hindi word for "strength" is best translated as "manpower" - misogyny of language much? ...or perhaps just misogyny of an author who reports himself to have said to his female companion, "If they try to rape you, keep your protests down to a minimum. I don't want them to get enraged and kill us both." (66) ....Oy.