Ajam Podcast #21: Reimagining Baloch “Mercenaries” in the Western Indian Ocean

Episode 21 August 17, 2020 00:35:03
Ajam Podcast #21: Reimagining Baloch “Mercenaries” in the Western Indian Ocean
Ajam Media Collective Podcast
Ajam Podcast #21: Reimagining Baloch “Mercenaries” in the Western Indian Ocean

Aug 17 2020 | 00:35:03

/

Show Notes

In this episode Lindsey interviews Ameem Lutfi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. The legacy of the Baloch in Indian Ocean historiography has been confined to their role as soldiers or “mercenaries” of various rulers. Dr. Lutfi’s work is interested in interrogating what it meant for the Baloch to conquer on behalf of rulers without ever ruling those territories themselves. He grapples with the tension between the power that they have as conquerors - precluding them from being categorized as subaltern - and the fact that their history has been primarily passed down through folklore rather than texts. Dr. Lutfi reminds us that in the past, states frequently relied on “mercenary” outsiders to staff their armies, and professional citizen soldiers only became the norm in the last century. He explains that although the Baloch have been perceived by many as a diaspora group, they see themselves as critical parts in the formation of the nation itself. In this vein, their work as soldiers and more recently policemen, has created deep, highly mobile Baloch networks between the shores for centuries.

Other Episodes

Episode 18

November 03, 2019 00:40:26
Episode Cover

Ajam Podcast #18: Of Gardens and Graves in Kashmir

In this episode, Teren Sevea, an Assistant Professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, interviews Suvir Kaul, the A. M. Rosenthal...

Listen

Episode 7

December 16, 2018 00:33:18
Episode Cover

Ajam Podcast #7: The Limits of Whiteness

In this episode, Rustin is joined by Neda Maghbouleh, Assistant Professor of Sociology at University of Toronto. She is the author of [The Limits...

Listen

Episode 46

March 03, 2025 00:34:21
Episode Cover

Ajam Podcast #46: Sufi Communities in Afghanistan

In this episode, Belle interviews Dr. Annika Schmeding, Senior Researcher at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and a Lecturer at...

Listen