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Negotiating Communal Harmony in Mumbai: Women in Mohalla Committees
Author(s) -
Nilesh Preeta
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-0787.2011.01295.x
Subject(s) - harmony (color) , negotiation , political science , faith , hinduism , conflict management , public administration , sociology , gender studies , law , religious studies , theology , art , philosophy , visual arts
The Mohalla Committees of Mumbai are a civil society initiative for the management of conflict. On December 6, 1992, a Hindu mob destroyed a 400‐year‐old mosque in Ayodhya in North India. Muslims all over India staged protests, and communal riots broke out in various parts of the country, including Mumbai. Not only was there a loss of harmony between Hindus and Muslims in the city, but also a loss of faith by the Muslims in the police. A people‐centered mechanism with the objective of communal harmony, the Mohalla Committees in Mumbai strived to restore peace and to open channels of communication between the police and citizens. Women played a key role in the process of confidence building. This article is a study of the proactive role played by women in continuing the process of reconciliation and peace building.