Between God and Ground: Invisible Chains Among Farming Communities

Slavery, in its modern guise, remains a pervasive issue. In South Asian countries, which are predominantly agricultural societies and home to nearly one-quarter of the world’s population, this issue often goes unseen and unnoticed (Bose & Jalal, 2022; Kara, 2017). The perspectives on slavery within these regions vary significantly compared to the modern world, featuring the hidden and complex nature of the problem. Far from being a relic of the past, slavery in South Asia is mainly perpetuated by a confluence of sociocultural norms and religious obligations that intertwine with economic and political structures. These norms do not merely support exploitation but actively sustain and normalise it, rendering slavery an accepted, if unspoken, part of life in many agricultural communities.

These obligations and norms often dictate farming methods, land ownership, family structures and labour relations, creating a system where exploitation is not just possible but inevitable. In reality, these factors create a web of social norms and expectations that make exploitation an accepted practice under the guise of so-called faith and obedience (Lewis et al., 2020). These factors bind individuals to systems of oppression and confinement, surrounded by invisible chains from which they cannot easily come out, even if they want to.

In Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, large landowners, often descendants of local elites since the British era, wield significant power and use it to maintain the status quo, ensuring that the systems of exploitation remain intact. These landowners are actively involved in politics and national policymaking, obstructing access to or resisting the implementation of reforms related to basic necessities of their constituents’ livelihoods. This deliberate obstruction reflects a ‘resistance to change and preservation of the status quo’.

The influential role of religious leaders further complicates this power dynamic. In many Bangladesh, Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Pakistani communities, religious leaders, most of whom are also large landowners, reinforce the authority of landowners, often through rituals and ancestral obligations that emphasise the sanctity of spiritual traditions. In this way, religion becomes a tool of control and power used to justify the exploitation of vulnerable populations (Deane, 2020). Mazar (Shrines) and Mandir (Temples), in this regard, have been working as power centres in the Indian sub-continent, enforced by the Gaddi Nasheen (Caretaker and the descendant of the Muslim Sufi) and Pujari (Hindu temple priest from the Brahmin caste who performs rituals and cares for the temple’s murtis). The farming communities visit these places and request to pray to the ‘Gaddi Nasheen’ and ‘Pujari’ for their productive crops. In return, they pay high amounts of alms to them. Nevertheless, they do not employ suitable agricultural practices and instead believe in divine powers. These so-called influencers have controlled people’s minds for centuries, keeping them in constant psychological confinement, which highlights how deceased spiritual powers significantly influence people based on myths in South Asia (Tasgheer et al., 2024).

From Tradition to Transition

Slavery in South Asian agricultural societies is not modern slavery but a centuries-old religious phenomenon and sociocultural tradition. These aspects require a fundamental shift in how communities view culture, religion, and, most importantly, their relationship with authority and power, whether visible or invisible. This shift must begin with formal and informal education, emphasising those norms that sustain exploitation. Education alone is insufficient; broader social reforms must also be implemented. To make these reforms practical for a normative shift, societies must undergo a profound process of self-realisation, recognising both the detrimental and positive aspects of their current sociocultural practices.

Social transitions indeed take time; however, there are signs of behavioural shifts and growing resistance among the youth regarding these practices, as they often pose a question in their surroundings: What is their future behind these sociocultural and religious practices in their farming and livelihoods? Achieving this shift requires open dialogue among various social groups through public forums and reflective reconsideration of existing norms.

“By fostering collective awareness and a commitment to equitable practices, societies should work towards a future where all individuals are valued and exploitation—whether rooted in sociocultural practices or religious influences—is unequivocally rejected.”

References

1. Bose, S., & Jalal, A. (2022). Modern South Asia: History, culture, political economy. Routledge.
2. Deane, T. (2022). The devadasi system: an exploitation of women and children in the name of god and culture. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 24(1), 8.
3. Kara, S. (2017). Modern slavery: A global perspective. Columbia University Press.
4. Lewis, H., Lonergan, G., Murray, R., Tomalin, E., & Waite, L. (2020). Faith responses to modern slavery. Leeds/Sheffield: University of Sheffield, University of Leeds & Economic and Social Research Council.
5. Tasgheer, A., Khalid, A., & Fatima, T. (2024). Violence and Veneration in The Name of Religion–The Dilemma of Demolishing Religious Sites in South Asia. South Asian Journal of Religion and Philosophy (SAJRP), 5(2), 74-97.