Gora (racial epithet)
Gora (or gaura), is a South Asian adjective for a yellow-skinned or light-brown person, whether Indian, Pakistani or from other regions. The word literally means "white" or "fair-skinned" in Indo-Aryan languages like Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Bengali and Punjabi.
Although the word distinctly means "yellowish", it is sometimes used informally to include any light-skinned person, whether light-brown, yellow or even white. In place names that date back to the colonial era - there are a number of graveyards in Pakistan such as the Gora Qabristan (the lighter-skinned graveyard) in Peshawar, [1] the Gora Kabrastan in Karachi,[2] as well as one in Chillianwala the site of a famous battle involving the British East India Company.[3]
According to the Natyasastra, an Indian text, the term refers to "yellowish-reddish".[4] Because of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's explicitly yellow skin, he was termed "Gauranga".[5]
Usage in Britain
The term gora is often used by British Asians as an noun instead of an adjective to exclusively refer to white people, the feminine form being gori.[6] The plural term gore is also used to refer to white people of both genders. In this form it has taken on racial connotations so has acquired the status of a slur, though it is not inherently pejorative.
Usage in Turkey
In the Ottoman Turkish language, a similar term goure was used to refer to kafirs.[7]
References
- ^ A vanishing landmark
- ^ Grave business
- ^ Battlefields of Chillianwallah
- ^ Studies in the Nāṭyaśāstra : with special reference to the Sanskrit drama in performance, G.H. Tārḷekar, p. 138
- ^ P. 52 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu By Prem Lata
- ^ The Independent, 1 April 2004
- ^ Matar, Nabil I. (1998), Islam in Britain, 1558-1685, Cambridge University Press, p. 4, ISBN 0521622336
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