Family resemblances can be viewed as a strategy of incorporation and a site of contestation—offering spaces for multiplicities while simultaneously being policed by dominant narratives of cultural sameness and majoritarian identity. At the microcosmic scale, this can be seen at the level of the Indian joint family, where intergenerational kin share collective space, experiences, and responsibilities to form a close-knit unit. This idea of family extends to the Indian nation, where we see a close yet complicated network of connecting affinities premised on shared practices, cultural codes, historical experiences, and socio-political affiliations. Wittgenstein's concept of family resemblances rethinks a kind of kinship that the Indian nation is built on - not through essentialist or biological ties but through overlapping, shifting similarities. This framework gives precedence to an inclusive notion of shared national belonging, identity, and "oneness," where aspects like caste, class, gender, religion, ethnicity, language, or regional differences are homogenized.

Wittgenstein's concept of "shifting similarities" bears a striking resemblance to Benedict Anderson's notion of "imagined communities," which has been contested by South Asian scholars such as Sanjib Baruah, Gopal Guru, Nivedita Menon, Partha Chatterjee, and Amir Mufti, among others, who argue that India is a hierarchical formation shaped by caste, class, region, gender, and religion. In such a context, the Indian state's familial narratives often reinforce a majoritarian paradigm and exclusion rather than genuine inclusion. This acts as a double-edged sword where the idea of "one" India subsumes, occludes, and silences minority identities, thereby exposing fault lines of exclusion, hierarchy, and power that operate beneath the surface of national unity. For instance, the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir has been hailed as a major success in bringing about the integration and unification of Kashmiris within the nation-state. At the same time, the closure of the historic Jama Masjid in downtown Srinagar on March 277, 2025—preventing Lailat-ul-Qadr prayers during the holy month of Ramadan—raises concerns about the genuine integration of Kashmiri Muslims into the broader Indian socio-political fabric. In light of incidents like these, it becomes acutely pertinent to engage with the obfuscation of minority voices in India and globally, both academically and politically.

While the ideals of ekta (unity) and 'unity in diversity' are frequently invoked to reinforce India's pluralistic identity, persistent Hindu-Muslim binaries, Dalit marginalization, the androcentric narrative of citizenship, and the distinct ethnocultural identities of Northeastern communities continue to destabilize and challenge the Indian state's vision of a unified national family. Our panel foregrounds the lived experiences of those frequently seen as the "others within "—marked by caste, gender, ethnicity, regional, or religious difference—and are subjected to suspicion, marginalization, and conditional inclusion. It examines the critique, resistance, and subversion by those deemed 'dissimilar' and consequently othered, ostracized, subjected to hate, and made targets of political and sexual violence. By refusing or rejecting the so-called family resemblances, minority identities employ these strategically not only to reveal deep-seated structures of racism, casteism, and cultural stereotyping but also to expose how national belonging remains uneven and contested. In doing so, they challenge the aspirational ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the notion that "the world is one family" —by foregrounding the lived realities of those perpetually excluded from its embrace.

The panel would include papers that examine challenges to fraternal claims and the Places of Worship Act in contemporary India through a reading of Hindi and Urdu short stories, the questioning of 'Malestream' citizenship through feminist stand-up comedy, the rejection and reinvention of family resemblances in Dalit Life Narratives as a mode of resistance, and an analysis of fractured resemblances, cinematic politics of representations, and everyday resistance in northeastern India. Our panel examines diverse minority narratives, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and Northeastern Indian voices. Two presenters are from India, while the other two and the chair are US-based. Coming from diverse geographical, institutional, religious, and cultural backgrounds, our panel brings in presenters from different stages of academic careers, from graduate students to senior professors.

Each presentation will be 12 minutes, leaving us 27 minutes for discussions/Q&A.