Muslim Identity, Print Culture and the Dravidian Factor in Tamil Nadu

The work is an original attempt to study the influence of print technology on the Muslims of Tamil Nadu and their literature. It is based on literary works published by the Tamil Muslims from 1835, when restrictions on printing were removed, to 1920, when they participated in the pan-Islamic Khilafat movement. The author has systematically classified these works in the form of an exhaustive catalogue. By extension, the study of this literature becomes a study of the origins, society, and identity of the Tamil Muslims. A survey of Tamil Muslim literature before the print era, and a brief history of print culture and its introduction into the Indian sub-continent form the groundwork of the research. The author argues that print consolidated the Islamic identity of the Tamil Muslims despite its modernist influence, but it also raised controversies between reformists, influenced by Western education, and the traditional ulemas. This inquiry into a relatively unexplored area, sustained by rich empirical evidence, offers a unique perspective into the history and society of the Muslims of Tamil Nadu.