ABSTRACT
The Muslims of Banaras constitute one-quarter of the city’s population and form the core of the Banarasi sari industry. The impact of developing industrial capitalism in the 19th century on the livelihoods of the weavers must have been volcanic. Islamic revitalisation and revival movements had already emerged in the 19th century, but they got a further impetus in the 1920s and 1930s. This chapter discusses the role of religion and religious consciousness in contributing to the emerging identity of the Julahas that anchors and grounds the emerging consciousness in the social contradictions and alliance of social forces of the 1920s and 1930s. The Momin Ansaris were the most prominent and assertive group among the artisans of the United Provinces. An important element of the colonialist project was the creation and deployment of the category of 'the backward Muslim'.
