Searching for Identity and Voice in A Diverse Society

Abstract

The introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, led to nationwide protests and mass mobilisation of minority women.  The sit-in protests conducted at Shaheen Bagh Delhi from December 2019 to March 2020 was one such mobilisation that garnered public attention. The protests at Shaheen Bagh, Delhi continued till the pandemic forced the protestors to leave the site. This paper examines the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, through the identity and gender perspective. The gathering of women protestors raised questions about their fundamental rights and discrimination from the provision made under the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. The protests used national symbols, songs, slogans, paintings on the wall and poetry as means to resist the idea of amendment as proposed by the establishment. To understand the resistance against the proposed CAA, it is necessary to look at the presence of minority women and their mobilisation to assert their identities as individuals and as a group. In a pluralistic society like India, people from different backgrounds enhance the geographical and cultural nuances and increase social cohesion in the country. The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, discriminates against minority sections in India and is further prejudiced against women. The awareness of losing one’s fundamental right led to the protests to seek their identity and ensure a safe physical space in a multicultural society.  While there is a lot of research on the identities of refugees and international migrants, internal diversity is unique to very few places, and the ramifications of this unique feature are an interesting phenomenon to observe. The resistance led by minority women in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, garnered huge people's support and reflects social cohesion in a diverse society like India.  The resistance and social mobilization at Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, was a unique protest as it portrayed the emotions and effervescence of unrest through songs, slogans, and speeches at the sit-in protests that influenced the masses, and their public opinion. The methodology used will be an exploratory study of select media reportage of the Shaheen Bagh protest from December 2019 to March 2020.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46700/asssr/2024/v6/i2/2024120602009