TRANSNATIONAL DEVOTEES: REFLECTIONS ON THE ROLE OF SUFI SHRINES IN THE MIGRATION PROCESS FROM GUJRAT, PAKISTAN
Keywords:
Gujrati Diaspora; International Migration; Migration Process; Pakistan; Remittances; Sufi Shrines; Transnational Devotees.
Abstract
Purpose-In rural communities across Pakistan an increased proclivity can be observed towards Sufi shrines visitation and ritual performance. People normally pay visits and give donations at shrines in a bid to accommodate their spiritual needs. The migrants (transnational devotees) having strong connections to the home communities were inclined towards the Sufi shrines in the same way as their relatives back homes. Design/methodology/approach-The current research was conducted in district Gujrat which is famous for both the international migration and veneration of Sufi shrines. For this research, ethnographic fieldwork was conducted by using a) in-depth interviews, b) case studies, and c) focus group discussions from the community members having knowledge about migration and shrines. The selection of the respondents was made through the use of purposive sampling with a specific criterion as only international migrants, their left behind families’ de facto heads and the custodians of the Sufi shrines were taken as respondents. The rationale behind their selection was very simple as they can better explain the bond between migrants, custodians and shrines even after the relocation from the origin to destination.
Findings-The findings showed that a strong affection can be seen among migrants, their families and the shrines. They were paying visits to the shrines, performing rituals and giving donations for the functioning of shrines.
Originality/Value- This paper has focused on one of the issues which normally had been missed by mainstream migrant researchers. So, keeping in view the dearth of existing knowledge base on this issue, the current paper aim to add on to the body of knowledge related to the role of spiritual guidance in the process of migrants.
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Adebayo, P. (2010), “Transnational Networks of the Lebanese-Nigerian Diaspora”, In The Middle East Institute (ed.) Migration and the Mashreq. The Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., pp. 71-73.
Ballard, R. (1987),“The political economy of migration: Pakistan, Britain, and the Middle East”, In J. Eades (Ed.), Migrants, workers, and the social order, Tavistock, London, pp. 17-41.
BE&OE (2019),Migration Statistics of Pakistan [Multiple Files], Government of Pakistan, Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment.
Brunborg, H., Østby, L., and Henriksen, K. (2006),“Statistical Patterns and Demographic Change in Norway”, Paper Presented in the Workshop Globalization and Intercultural Linkages: The Case of Migration and Intercultural linkages between Pakistan and Norway during Conference on “The Social Science-Policy Nexus, Buenos Aires Argentine from 20-24 February 2006.
Dahya, B. (1974),“Pakistani Ethnicity in Industrial Cities in Britain”, In Cohen, A. (ed.) Urban Ethnicity, Tavistock, London.
Durand, J. and Massey, D. S. (1995), Miracles on the Border: Retablos of Mexican Migrants to the United States. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Faeamani, Sione ‘U. (1995), “The Impact of Remittanceson Rural Developmentin Tongan Villages,” Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, Vol 4 No. 1, pp. 139-155.
Fuka, M.L.A. (1985), “The Auckland Tongan Community and Overseas Remittances”, Master Thesis, Universityof Auckland, Auckland, Australia.
Geertz, C. (1973), The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays, Basic Books, New York, NY.
Government of Pakistan. (2006),Government of Pakistan, Pre-feasibility study for Sikh Pilgrimage and Development of Facilities Near Sikh Shrines, Employment and Research Section, Planning & Development Division, Islamabad: Pakistan.
Government of Punjab. (1921),Gazetteer of the Gujrat District. Government Printing, Lahore.
Government of the Punjab. (2008),Multiple IndicatorCluster Survey (MICS), Provincial Report Vol. 1. Department of Planning and Development, Government of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
Hagan, J. and Ebaugh, H.R. (2003), “Calling upon the Sacred: Migrants’ Use of Religion in the Migration Process”,International Migration Review, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 1145-1162.
Hasan, A., and Raza, M. (2011),Migration and small towns in Pakistan, Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan.
Hegan, J.M. (2002), “Religion and the Process of Migration: A Case Study of a Maya Transnational Community”, In Ebaugh, H.R. and Chafetz, J. (Eds.) Religion Across Borders: Transnational Religious Networks, Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek, CA.
International Organization for Migration. (2008),“World Migration Report 2008: Managing Labour Mobility in the Evolving Global Economy”, International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland.
Kepel, G. (1997),Allahin the West: Islamic movements in America and Europe, Polity Press, Cambridge.
Khan, S. (2017),“The Impact of Migration on Education and Health (A Case Study of Karrianwala Village, District Gujrat, Pakistan)”, PhD Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad Pakistan.
Khan, S. and Kalhoro, Z.A. (2016),“The Impact of International Migration on Spiritual Healing Practices in Rural Punjab”,Journal of Pakistan Historical Society,Vol. 64, No. 4, pp. 71-94.
Khan, S., and Sajid, M. R. (2011), “The essence of shrines in rural Punjab: A case study of shrines at Barrilla Sharif, Gujrat-Pakistan”,Humanity and Social Sciences Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 66-77.
Kirmani, I.A. (2006),Syed Kabir-ud-Din alias Hazrat Shah Daula Daryai (Urdu Versioned),Azeem and Sons Publishers, Lahore, Pakistan.
Kurien,P.A. (2008),A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Migration and Economic Development: Middle Eastern Migration from Kerala, India. International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland.
Laenen, F.V. (2005),“Norwegian left court Pakistani Vote”,The Brussels Journal, available at http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/143 (accessed 01 July, 2020).
Leghari, I.U. (2009),“Pakistani immigrants in Greece: from changing pattern of migration to Diaspora politics and transnationalism”, paper presented in 4th London School of Economics (LSE) PhD Symposium on Contemporary Greece, London School of Economics, Hellenic Observatory 25 and 26 June 2009.
Massey, D. S., Arango J., Hugo G., Kouaouci A., Pellegrino, A., and Taylor, J. E. (1993), “Theories of international migration: A review and appraisal”,Population and Development Review, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 431-466.
Masud, M.K. (ed.) (2000),Travellers in Faith: Studies of the Tablighi Jamaat as a transnational Islamic Movement for faith renewal. Leiden.
MedicineNet. (2018),“Microcephaly”,available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/microcephaly/article.htm (accessed 14 Feb 2020).
Metcalf, B.D. (1996), “New Medinas: The Tablighi Jama’at in America and Europe”, in Metcalf, B.D. (ed.),Making Muslim Space in North America and Europe, University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 110–27.
Metcalf, B.D. (2002), “Traditionalist” Islamic activism: Deoband, Tablighis, and Talibs”, ISIM, Leiden, available at: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/1887/10068/1/paper_metcalf.pdf (accessed 15 Jan 2020).
PBS. (2018), “Population and Household Detail from Block to District Level Punjab (Gujrat District)”, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, available at: http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/GUJRAT_BLOCKWISE.pdf (accessed 12 Jan 2020).
Shah, N.M. (1995),“Emigration Dynamics from and within South Asia”,International Migration, Vol. 33 No. 3&4, pp. 559-625.
Shah, N.M. (2001),“Current Issues in Middle East Migration from Pakistan and other South Asian Countries”, Pakistan Population Stabilization Prospects 2ndConference Proceedings 31stOctober to 2nd November 2001, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Wazirabadi, S.F. (n.d),Seerat Hazrat Sain Karam Elahi alias Kanwan Wali Sarkar (Urdu Versioned),Chishti Book Store, Lahore.
Werbner, P. (1999),“Global pathways. Working class cosmopolitans and the creation of transnational ethnic worlds”,Social Anthropology,Lahore Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 17-35.
Werbner, Pnina. (1996),“Stamping the Earth with the Name of Allah: Zikr and the Sacralizing of Space among British Muslims”,Cultural Anthropology, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 309-338.
World Bank. (2017), “Migration and Remittances: Recent Developments and Outlook”, The World Bank Group, Washington, DC.
Zaman, M. (2006),Gujrat in the Mirror of History (Urdu Versioned), Imtiaz Fiaz Printing Press, Lahore.
Published
2020-10-10
How to Cite
Sarfraz Khan, Zulfiqar Ali,Siraj Hussain,Sobia Abid. (2020). TRANSNATIONAL DEVOTEES: REFLECTIONS ON THE ROLE OF SUFI SHRINES IN THE MIGRATION PROCESS FROM GUJRAT, PAKISTAN. Epistemology, 7(1), 159-176. Retrieved from http://journal.epistemology.pk/index.php/epistemology/article/view/126
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Articles
