History + Heritage
The adage "History is written by the victors" speaks to how history is often written from the winner's standpoint and is, therefore, more grounded in their interpretation of events than in the reality of it. Colonized by the British Raj for 200 years, this holds true for the Indian sub-continent as its culture, history, and heritage continue to be contextualized through the lens of this rule. While the Indian sub-continent and its people are no longer colonized, our collective understanding and connection to this past is largely influenced by the racial hegemony embedded within the colonial ideal. Engaging with South Asian history and heritage, therefore, necessitates an engagement with the hegemonic ideologies that have shaped our remembrance of these cultural artifacts.
The accounts studied and highlighted below have utilized their platforms to create space for overlooked or underrepresented aspects of South Asian history and heritage in ways that help decolonize our understanding of this past while celebrating the diversity and humanity found in these stories.
Instagram account @brownhistory aims to share "South Asian history retold by the Vanquished", humanizing the histories and stories highlighted. This diverse representation of the South Asian narrative not only challenges our understanding of both, our own history and ourselves, but it also encourages us to appreciate the humanity behind these stories.
History, as we know it, fails to capture how past events, victories, and tragedies shape our relation to the 'now'. By sharing stories of individual histories, @brownhistory acts as a medium through which South Asian social media users can further explore how the past relates to how they connect to their respective identities in the present.
In a history where the west grounds South Asian image in poverty and pity, stories like the one of someone celebrating their 16th birthday in the height of the Beatles madness in the 70s or about Indore's royalty and their carefree nature act as stories of resistance through which South Asians can continue re-learning and re-constructing their own narrative.
Instagram account @daakvaak sets out to "collect lesser known stories, artworks, and ideas from the subcontinent" whose themes range from poetry and literature to visual representations of a history that is often swept under the rug. By showcasing and embracing India's activist past and introducing sexually suggestive content from the 'good, old (, pure) days', their content not only challenges external perceptions of the South Asian narrative but it also addresses stigma within contemporary Indian culture. In a context where sex continues to be taboo and cultural conformity continues to be valued - these posts can be perceived as an attempt of 'demeaning' the sub-continent's history, culture, and value systems. However, even in this uproar, the presence of these counter-narratives force us to grapple with where and how these ideas of 'purity' and 'conformity' found their way into the norm, encouraging today's social media users to engage in a more critical evaluation of the forces that have structured 'Indian-ness' as they know it.
Instagram account @thehistoryarchives contributes to the process of collective identity reclamation by "refreshing the historic, artistic and nostalgic splendor of the (Indian) subcontinent; celebrating its artisanal luxury" through its informative posts on the grandeur and abundance that is often eliminated from South Asian histories (as conceived by the west). As alluded to earlier, this representation of the sub-continent's diverse histories and heritage actively challenges the idea that its prosperity was linked to colonization. As part of their rhetoric, the British Raj justified their 200-year rule on the sub-continent through this perceived need for 'development' when in reality, this colonization was deeply rooted in a cultural hegemony that deemed the sub-continent and its people as uncivilized, barbaric, and in need of western saviorship. This notion of saviorship has translated within global perception of the sub-continent and continues to inform the lens with which people relate to South Asia. While this project does not aim to deny or invalidate any of the socioeconomic and/or sociopolitical structures that fuel racism, for example, it is important to recognize the role of these virtual spaces in expanding our collective understanding of South Asia.
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