A Review of Razak Khan, Minority Pasts: Locality, Emotions, and Belonging in Princely Rampur

Abstract

This review evaluates Razak Khan’s Minority Pasts, a history of the princely state of Rampur. Khan’s monograph argues for the centrality of “locality” in shaping Muslim identity, emotion, and politics from the colonial era to the postcolonial present. Drawing on multilingual archives and the history of emotions, the book traces how Rampuri rulers and subjects negotiated belonging through concepts like “poetic sovereignty” and an affective sense of place known as “Rampuriyat.” The review assesses the book as a methodologically innovative and significant contribution that counters homogenizing narratives, highlighting its interdisciplinary value for scholars of South Asia.