Mosques as Socio-Political Institutions: Community Governance and Collective Identity in Malabar

Abstract

This study examines mosques in Malabar as dynamic socio-political institutions that shaped community governance and collective Muslim identity between 1498 and 1947. Moving beyond their conventional role as places of worship, Malabar mosques functioned as centers of administration, education, dispute resolution, economic management, and political mobilization. From the arrival of the Portuguese and the disruption of Muslim maritime dominance to British colonial rule and the Malabar Rebellion of 1921, mosques played a critical role in organizing communal life and articulating resistance to external domination. Institutions such as the qadi, mahal committees, and waqf governance structures embedded mosques within everyday social regulation and local authority. The study highlights how mosques facilitated collective identity formation through religious discourse, shared rituals, legal norms, and political consciousness, particularly among the Mappila Muslim community. In the post-1921 period, mosques further evolved as spaces of reform, education, and public debate, engaging with modern political movements and nationalist aspirations. By analyzing mosques as socio-political institutions, this research provides deeper insight into the intersection of religion, governance, and anti-colonial experience in Malabar’s historical landscape.