Muslim capitalism: legal and political history of the Khojas, Bohras, and Memons in colonial Bombay

Thesis

This thesis looks at Muslims as economic actors in colonial Bombay. I examine the Gujarati Muslim communities of Khojas, Bohras, and Memons to illuminate the interaction between the colonial state and Muslim capitalists. These Gujarati Muslim trading communities have been examined either through the lens of community formation or as part of transnational trading networks. This thesis reclaims their role as leading vernacular capitalists and situates them by examining how they balanced their role as political actors and economic entrepreneurs. I make three broad arguments that make the case that Muslim capitalism can be a legitimate category. First, they pursued a policy of deliberate ambiguity, both, towards the idea of a homogenous Muslim community, and as a unified group of Muslim capitalists. Second, assertions that as Hindu converts, they followed the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) model are misleading and I argue that it was the unnamed legal fiction of Muslim Divided Family (MDF) that best explains their positioning vis-à-vis courts and administration. Third, key legislation on waqf, which made the case for preventing the dissipation of assets deploying Islamic vocabulary, was not suited for modern commerce. As such, in light of my analysis, I argue that these underrepresented or often misrepresented communities require independent examination to understand the complex intermingling of law and Muslim merchants in colonial India.

Authors: Khan, D

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-eq0yd16yy
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Memons; Bohras; Gujarati Muslim communities; colonial Bombay; Khojas; capitalism
• Subjects: Business History; South Asian History; Legal History; Global History; Indian History