Driving Ethnicity Through Instrumentalism: Genesis of Sindhudesh Movement

Abstract

This research article examines the conditions under which Sindhudesh Movement gained popularity and initiated its true struggle on lingual basis along with economic deprivation and cultural discrimination after the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971. Paul Brass’s theory of Instrumentalism has been briefly employed to give to understand how elites use population falling in the periphery of the society to ensure their stature and power by translating their grievances into discrimination and ultimately mobilizing them to launch a struggle. Sindhudesh has more to it than just looking at its successes and failures. This research article sketches out why Sindhudesh gained status, and how elites have been using Sindhi nationalism, ethnicity and identity as a tool and an “instrument” to effectively attain their interests by the help of secondary research sources. The research paper concludes Sindhudesh have been used as an “ethnic card” by political units and elites to fulfil their interests