Talk:Peripatetic groups of Afghanistan

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Hello

Re this: as far as I can see, the only thing the source has on this topic, is the mention of "jat" in a list of a dozen or so regional words for gypsies. It only states that it's used in Khorasan, Afghanistan. First off, it's a bit of

a jump from this statement to the one that you're making – that jat means "gypsy" in Dari. Now more to the point, I'm not aware of any gypsy-like groups in Khorasan other than the ones this article is about. Unless there's something I'm missing, your addition to the text is tautological: given that the text already establishes that the peripatetic groups are known as "jat", your addition effectively repeats that backwards by saying that "jat" is a name for peripatetic groups. The only difference is that it introduces the term "gypsy"; it may be tempting to call the jats "gypsies" but as most of the sources of this article emphasise, the analogy can be misleading, as the jats occupy a somewhat different social and conceptual sphere than the gypsies that are found among the settled populations in the west. And if indeed the word "jat" is used by Dari speakers for the European gypsies, that's just a piece of trivia that is outside the scope of this article. – Uanfala (talk) 20:28, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply

]

talk) 20:43, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply

]

Are there any peripatetic groups of Afghanistan other than the ones covered in this article? Mind you, the word "

peripatetic" refers to a very specific kind of nomad, it doesn't include for example goat-herding pastoralists, or modern-day corporate travelling salespeople. Ideally, this article will have some decent discussion of the whole "gypsy" business, but that would require quite a bit more context. Until that is added, I don't see casual mentions of the term as being helpful. – Uanfala (talk) 21:14, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply

]

Well, Xerxes931, if you'd like to dig up the works of Aparna Rao and others, and then write up a paragraph about how the peripatetic groups were previously sometimes labelled as "gypsies" and why that term is not appropriate, then feel free. In such a context it will not be completely out of place to mention what other referents the Dari word jat might have. Otherwise, I don't see anything particularly "urgent" in throwing in random factoids. – Uanfala (talk) 17:07, 1 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi

User:Xerxes931, Hi User talk:Uanfala

: I can confirm that in Afghanistan, we use the word Jat in Persian language (Farsi/ Dari) for both the local Gypsy population (in Afghanistan/Pakistan/India) as well as for any Gypsy groups in the world (e.g. I would use use the word Jat for the Gypsies in Europe).

By the way, the name Jat is by itself not derogatory; but the name Shadibaz (which is used in the article) is not only derogatory, but is also incorrect to be used as a name for a Gypsy group. Shadibaz simply means those who take monkeys to the city and perform dance or other performances on them, as a source of income. It's more of a name of an occupation rather than a name of a social group.

Finally, I have a serious objection to listing

Kuchi of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Cabolitæ (talk) 05:33, 1 October 2020 (UTC)[reply

]

But the Baloch people are not listed here as peripatetic. – Uanfala (talk) 17:33, 1 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

It is actually. See the table in the Ethnic Groups section. I notice that the description says that it refers to only a small group of Baloch people in general, but I think it is misleading. It would be better to call them Chalu (as the description in the article mentions it as an alternate name for this group), to ensure that the readers do not confuse it with the wider Baloch group. I do reckon that the word Chalu is quite popularly used in Afghanistan for the gypsies, and is also a popular derogatory term. Cabolitæ (talk) 06:51, 3 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Well, this group as listed as "Baluch" because that's the common name that the sources have used. Maybe the confusion can be avoided by adding a note to the table entry, with similar content to what is said in the article section? – Uanfala (talk) 19:56, 3 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The use of Jat within an academic context is not a derogatory term as demonstrated by multiple sources which use the term itself as a title. These are in the article itself.RuudVanClerk (talk) 12:06, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Just checked this sourced: “Marginality and language use: The example of peripatetics in Afghanistan”. Jat is a sub-group within the Peripatetics of Afghanistan. The article was originally created covering the Jats of Afghanistan. For periopatetics in general, a separate article should be created. RuudVanClerk (talk) 12:14, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

There's no single group called "Jat". This is just a pejorative term for any peripatetic group, and none of the ethnicities described here use it for themselves. I'm not sure I get your point about not all peripatetics being called "Jats". Which ones are they? Are they included in this article? – Uanfala (talk) 12:30, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Yes there is an issue with them not referring to themselves as Jats however all sources use that term and we can only go of what these say. My point was, is the scope of the article relating to peripatetics in general or those that are designated as “Jat” because the article contents relate to the latter only. Thanks RuudVanClerk (talk) 12:40, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like the use of the term “Jat” is more complicated then merely being a derogatory term as some groups call related groups as Jat:

https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/citizens-finally-but-no-place-to-settle-the-magats-one-of-afghanistans-most-marginalised-minorities/ RuudVanClerk (talk) 12:43, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I've had a browse at this link, and it states that Ethnographer Aparna Rao [...] introduced the term “peripatetic” for them. It is now most widely used in academia. This is also the term used in the article's sources (except for the Encyclopedia Iranica entry, but even that it explicit that the term is an ambiguous label and not an ethnonym). I still don't get your point about the non-overlap of the terms "Jat" and "peripatetic of Afghanistan". Which ethnic groups would be included in the article if it used one title but excluded if it used the other? – Uanfala (talk) 13:06, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The Maldars and Kochis/kuchis would be good examples of ethnicities are live nomadic/Peripatetic lives while not being classed as “Jat”. As I said, a separate article would need to be made for peripatetics in Afghanistan generally. RuudVanClerk (talk) 13:18, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Oh that! The

pastoralists. That's the whole point of the term "peripatetic" here: it distinguishes the service-providing itinerants of low social status from the traditionally more respected nomadic herders. – Uanfala (talk) 13:40, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply

]

Thanks for the correction. But that still doesn’t address the Maldars nor does it address the sources detailing other peripatetic groups with Jats being just one section of them. We can only go of what the sources say I am afraid. RuudVanClerk (talk) 13:54, 4 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Maldar is another name for the

Kuchis, as made clear in the Wikipedia article and also explained in the page you've linked above. Otherwise, you're absolutely right that we should only follow the sources, which in this case means that I'll have to revert your changes (as explained in the section below). – Uanfala (talk) 16:02, 9 May 2022 (UTC)[reply

]

Back to the main question: using "Jats" in the title wouldn't be completely crazy: that's done, for example, in the Encyclopedia Iranica entry. However, given that virtually all of the core literature prefers the descriptive term "peripatetic groups" (or "nomads"...) and that "Jat" itself is highly pejorative, the case against the recent move is clear. I'm going to move the article back. – Uanfala (talk) 16:02, 9 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A few days ago a reference to Pstrusińska's book was slotted into the article's first sentence. The full citation is:

• Pstrusinska, Jadwiga (2013). Secret languages of Afghanistan and their speakers. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  ISBN 978-1-4438-6441-1
  .

In neighbouring

Jat refers to a large cluster of agriculture castes, some especially in the Balochistan are connected with camel breeding and herding, and it is possible that the Afghan Jat are descended from peripatetic communities that entered Afghanistan in the company of these nomadic Jats, and acquired the name by association.^{[1][need quotation to verify][2]}

References

1. Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society
   1910 3(4):320
2. ^ Rao, Aparna (1982). Les Gorbat d'Afghanistan : aspects economiques d'un groupe itinerant "Jat". Editions Recherche sur les civilisations. p. 83.