Т. 2. Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность

Asia and Africa: their Heritage and Modernity. Vol. 2 5 Stig Toft Madsen (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, University of Copenhagen) Jats and Jutland: Caste Identity Across Time and Space In India, some oral and written sources hold that the Jats (a North Indian caste closely tied to agriculture) have originally come from the peninsular of Jutland. In a similar vein it is sometimes said that the Jats have many other old affiliations across the Eurasian space. As proof of the hypothesis, the sources point to similarities in vocabulary, physical make-up, or cultural traits. Diffusionist theories once enjoyed widespread credence in anthropology, geography and other disciplines. When I entered the university in 1970, diffusionist thinking had already lost traction, but in India the sun never set on this brand of science. I will illustrate this by presenting a little-known tract entitled Jat and Jutland (Denmark): Ancient History of Migration and Settlement of the Jats over Europe and Asia from 1982 in which Mangal Sen Jindal rehearses the old, but not entirely forgotten hypothesis, that the farmers in the Danish mainland, i.e. in Jutland, are actually Jats. The tract celebrates the past and present grit and glory of the irrepressible Jat farmers, pastoralists and soldiers wherever they are, or were, found. To wit: “Jats of the whole world are brave, intelligent, hard working possess capacity to rule. They are less merciful. They were very fond of good breed horses and other animals. Many of them love drinks and are non-vegetarians. They had been bitter enemies of Muslims. Mahmud of Ghazni who was robbed of half his СЕКЦИЯ XIII. ИСТОЧНИКОВЕДЕНИЕ И ИСТОРИОГРАФИЯ ИНДИИ И ЮВА HISTORIOGRAPHY OF INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA