Master of Visual Reportage Turns to India's Sectarian Violence
Joe Sacco, the acclaimed graphic novelist who revolutionised comic book journalism with his landmark work Palestine, has directed his distinctive approach towards examining the legacy of Indian partition through the lens of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. His new book, The Once and Future Riot, published by Jonathan Cape at £20, represents another profound example of how graphic novels can tackle complex geopolitical issues with nuance and power.
From Palestine to Uttar Pradesh: Tracing Colonial Legacies
Just as Palestine explored the long-term consequences of the Balfour Declaration, Sacco's latest work investigates the enduring impact of the chaotic 1947 partition of India, a division imposed by British colonial authorities along poorly conceived religious lines. The book focuses specifically on a rural area of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, where tensions that had simmered for more than six decades eventually erupted into violent confrontation.
Sacco's methodology remains consistent with his established approach: he embeds as a journalist in conflict zones, conducting street-level interviews and translating these testimonies into powerful visual narratives. His technique allows broader political lessons to emerge from highly localised conflicts and depictions of everyday life, creating a unique form of reportage that combines journalistic rigor with artistic expression.
The Muzaffarnagar Riots: Contested Triggers and Documented Consequences
The book centres on the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, though Sacco carefully documents the regional history and tensions that foreshadowed the violence. The exact catalyst remains disputed—some accounts point to an incident of sexual harassment (termed "eve-teasing") where a Muslim man harassed a Jat Hindu woman, leading to retaliatory killings, while others suggest a traffic dispute that spiralled into sectarian violence.
Regardless of the trigger, the outcome was tragically clear: dozens were killed, hundreds injured, and tens of thousands displaced from their homes. Sacco chronicles how politicians and religious leaders failed to maintain peace at every critical juncture, while rumours and misinformation—particularly a Facebook video falsely presented as showing a local Jat boy being lynched—fueled the escalating violence.
The army was eventually deployed to quell the disturbances after several days of intense conflict. Sacco documents the aftermath in displacement camps where the dispossessed—both Jat and Muslim, though predominantly Muslim—were forced to reside, and examines the subsequent attempts at reparations, which he characterises as inept and potentially corrupt.
Democracy and the Perennial Threat of Violence
The title's reference to a "future riot" underscores Sacco's exploration of violence as a recurring feature of India's democratic processes. The book draws connections between the Muzaffarnagar violence and the political ascendancy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose rise was partly fueled by earlier riots in Gujarat in 2002. Sacco observes how anti-Muslim prejudice following the 2013 riots benefited Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP party.
In the concluding sections, Sacco raises a question with global significance: does a democracy that foments violence risk being overwhelmed by it? This inquiry feels particularly urgent given the continued volatile atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh and across India a decade after the events depicted.
Artistic Evolution and Journalistic Integrity
Sacco's artistic style demonstrates evolution from his earlier work, with panels that are both dynamic and clear. The human figures appear less caricatured than in Palestine, and vox pops punctuate the narrative, emphasising the subjective experiences of ordinary people caught in the turmoil.
The review notes one distinctive artistic choice: all protagonists are rendered with dark skin tones, shaded using parallel horizontal lines rather than cross-hatching. This technique creates a visual effect reminiscent of television interference on characters' faces—an initially distracting element that nonetheless doesn't diminish the work's overall power.
Ultimately, Joe Sacco remains fundamentally a journalist, and this book represents journalism of the highest order. The graphic novel format, of which he is nearly the sole practitioner in this specific approach, incorporates a subjectivity absent from traditional journalism. He includes contradictory memories from different protagonists, embracing the complexity of tumultuous politics rather than simplifying it.
In an era when long-form journalism faces increasing pressure and political analysis is often reduced to soundbites, Sacco's work stands as a vital lifeline. The Once and Future Riot demonstrates how the graphic novel—an admittedly unsatisfactory descriptor for this sophisticated form—can contain all the intricate layers of contemporary political conflict, making it essential reading for understanding both India's specific challenges and broader global patterns of sectarian violence.
