Christophe Jaffrelot

"Although ethnic and sectarian tensions have always been a feature of modern Indian history, the country was founded and governed in its first decades by a nationalist political movement - associated with the Indian National Congress -- that stressed the non-sectarian nature of Indian citizenship. Hindu nationalism, a contrary political force, was born in the 1920s but didn't take off politically until the 1990s. It finally secured national power in 2014 when a populist leader, Narendra Modi -- a former governor of the province of Gujarat -- leveraged a reputation for successful economic reform and popular resentment toward the country's Muslim minority to lead his Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, to national victory. In this book, Christophe Jaffrelot recounts how the Hindu nationalist movement under the leadership of Modi's BJP has deeply transformed the country. Jaffrelot's main argument is that the reign of Modi and his BJP has ushered India into a new type of regime - what he calls ethnic democracy. Modi's rule relies undeniably on popular consent. (In last month's Indian federal elections, Modi consolidated his 2014 win with a decisive electoral victory.) But under the BJP India has largely jettisoned the country's previous commitment to the preservation of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities. This book is based both on the author's long years of research in India and on recent extensive interviews conducted across the country with civil servants, government supporters, opponents of the BJP, and members of religious minorities. Because of the tense atmosphere of intimidation throughout the country, many of Jaffrelot's interlocuters refused to speak on the record; he has given them pseudonyms in this book. The book recounts how proponents of secularism and pluralism, including academics and NGO workers, have been brought to heel; how Christians and Muslims have been increasingly marginalized in national and regional elections; and how the Hindu nationalist government has fostered the development of a shadow "cultural police force" -- with formal and informal ties to the state -- that censors public speech and intimidates political opponents. The book begins with an overview political history of modern India, explaining how the modern Indian state arose out of the heritage of British colonialism and then out of the Indian Congress-led national liberation movement. The bulk of the book takes up the rise and the rule of Hindu nationalism - Hindutva - and that of the strongman Modi, whose canny brand of populism has proven to be a game changer"--

Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy

Modi's India

Kanta Murali

Atul Kohli

Business and Politics in India

Pratinav Anil

The Emergency, 1975-1977

India's First Dictatorship

Thomas Blom Hansen

Angana P. Chatterji

Majoritarian State traces the ascendance of Hindu nationalism in contemporary India. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP administration has established an ethno-religious and populist style of rule since 2014. Its agenda is also pursued beyond the formal branches of government, as the new dispensation portrays conventional social hierarchies as intrinsic to Indian culture while condoning communal and caste- and gender-based violence. The contributors explore how Hindutva ideology has permeated the state apparatus and formal institutions, and how Hindutva activists exert control over civil society via vigilante groups, cultural policing and violence. Groups and regions portrayed as 'enemies' of the Indian state are the losers in a new order promoting the interests of the urban middle class and business elites. As this majoritarian ideology pervades the media and public discourse, it also affects the judiciary, universities and cultural institutions, increasingly captured by Hindu nationalists. Dissent and difference silenced and debate increasingly sidelined as the press is muzzled or intimidated in the courts. Internationally, the BJP government has emphasised hard power and a fast- expanding security state. This collection of essays offers rich empirical analysis and documentation to investigate the causes and consequences of the illiberal turn taken by the world's largest democracy.

How Hindu Nationalism Is Changing India

Majoritarian State

Laurence Louër

South Asia and the Gulf

The Islamic Connection

Laurent Gayer

Trajectories of Marginalisation

Muslims in Indian Cities

In June 1975 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a 'State of Emergency', resulting in a 21-month suspension of democracy. Jaffrelot and Anil explore this black page in India's history, a constitutional dictatorship of unequal impact, with South India largely spared thanks to the resilience of Indian federalism. India's First Dictatorship focuses on Mrs Gandhi and her son, Sanjay, who was largely responsible for the mass sterilisation programmes and deportation of urban slum-dwellers. However, it equally exposes the facilitation of authoritarian rule by Congressmen, Communists, trade unions, businessmen and the urban middle class, as well as the complacency of the judiciary and media. While opposition leaders eventually closed ranks in jail, many of them collaborated with the new regime--including the RSS. Those who resisted the Emergency, in the media or on the streets, were few in number. This episode was an acid test for India's political culture. While a tiny minority of citizens fought for democracy during the Emergency, in large numbers the people bowed to a strong woman, even worshipped her. Equally importantly, Hindu nationalists were endowed with a new legitimacy. The Emergency was not a parenthesis, but a turning point; its legacy is very much alive today.

William Gould

Santosh Dass

Dr Bhimrao R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) was one of India's greatest intellectuals and social reformers; his political ideas continue to inspire and mobilise some of the world's poorest and most socially disadvantaged, in India and the global Indian diaspora. Ambedkar's thought on labour, legal rights, women's rights, education, caste, political representation and the economy are international in importance. This book explores his lesser-known period of London-based study and publication during the early 1920s, presenting that experience as a lens for thinking about Ambedkar's global intellectual significance. Some of his later canon on caste, and Dalit rights and representation, was rooted in and shaped by his earlier work around the economy, governance, labour and representation during his time as a law student and as a doctoral candidate at the London School of Economics. The Indian diaspora in the UK is the country's single largest national minority. This volume connects Ambedkar's influence during his lifetime, and his legacy today, to this early phase of his career and intellectual life in London, and its immediate aftermath. It contains new material on the establishment of the city's Ambedkar Museum, explores Britain's Ambedkarite movement, and charts the campaign to outlaw caste discrimination in the UK.

Ambedkar in London

"Although the peaceful, inward-looking doctrine of the Hindu religion hardly seems to lend itself to ethnic nationalism, a phenomenal surge of militant Hinduism has taken place over the last ten years in India, precipitating a wave of Hindu-Muslim riots in India in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Indeed, the electoral success of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has proven beyond a doubt that these fundamentalists now pose a significant threat to India's secular government." "In a historically rich, detailed account of the Hindu nationalist movement in India since the 1920s, Christophe Jaffrelot explores how rapid changes in the political, social, and economic climate have made India fertile soil for the growth of the primary arm of Hindu nationalism, a paramilitary-style group known as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), together with its political offshoots." "Jaffrelot argues that political uneasiness, created by real and imagined threats of colonialism and the presence of minority groups, paved the way for militant Hinduism on the Indian subcontinent. He shows how the Hindu movement uses religion to enter the political sphere, and argues that the ideology they speak for has less to do with Hindu philosophy than with ethnic nationalism, borrowing from modern European models. Using techniques similar to those of nationalist groups in other nations, Jaffrelot contends, the Hindu movement polarizes Indian society by stigmatizing minorities - chiefly Muslims and Christians - and by promoting a sectarian Hindu identity." "Jaffrelot's close empirical research informs his case studies of party-building at the local level and strengthens his incisive interpretations of the past failures and Hindu nationalism, as well as recent successes beginning in the 1980s. This analysis takes into account the subtle interaction between long-term strategies for changing a country's culture and short-term tactics of political accommodation."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Hindu Nationalist Movement in India

Strategies of Identity-Building, Implantation and Mobilisation

The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics, 1925 to the 1990s

Peter van der Veer

Patterns of Middle Class Consumption in India and China explores the complex history and sociology of the middle class from a comparative perspective. It has papers written by sociologists, anthropologists and political scientists rather than economists, so the emphasis is on cultural shifts rather than economic statistics.The major contribution of this volume is that these two emerging powers of Asia are not, as is usual, compared to the West, but with each other. Considering that these two societies have so much in common in scale, civilization history and as emerging economies, the book is timely. The focus of the book is on the social and political implications of the new consumption patterns among the middle classes of India and China in the context of economic growth, liberalization of markets and globalization. Reflecting upon and critically engaging with the traditional sociological notions on which definitions of the middle class have been based, the book analyzes the intermingling of these notions with new attitudes in the wake of the consumer revolution. More specifically, an entire gamut of aspects of the consumer culture have been explored-tourism, leisure activities and the entertainment industry (art, Karaoke and soap operas)—as well as the consumption of experiences through these. It is argued that these phenomena have particular Indian and Chinese incarnations, which need to be analyzed in a manner that does not privilege a limited western experience of globalization. With its fresh insights and perspectives, the book will appeal to students of anthropology, sociology, political science, media studies and cultural studies. It will also be useful for market research professionals.

Patterns of Middle Class Consumption in India and China

"Connections of trade, family, learning and faith have existed between South Asia and the Gulf for hundreds of years. This book focuses on their workings in the modern period with especial emphasis on Islam. It demonstrates the significant and complex interactions which take place across the region, some of which are of strategic potential."--review on page [4] of cover.

Transnational Networks Between South Asia and the Gulf

Pan-Islamic Connections

Instability and Resilience

The Pakistan Paradox

'This book has remarkable potential for infusing Asian themes into academic curriculums...a topic of great interest and importance.' Dr. Abdul Jabbar, "Choice, Education About Asia" 'Jaffrelot and his distinguished team make clear that Musharraf's attitude to the Islamist agenda is fraught with ambiguity and irony.' "International Affairs " " A History of Pakistan and its Origins" is a comprehensive, detailed and fully up-to-date study of one of the most diverse, volatile and strategically significant countries in the world today. Born in turmoil barely half a century ago, Pakistan seems to be in an interminable pursuit of its own identity and at the same time finds itself a pivotal player in world politics. Its short existence has witnessed much: four coups d'etat; the rise of Islam as a power; tensions between ethnic, religious and separatist movements; the Kashmir conflict and the near-constant war footing with India. Written by an internationally renowned team of scholars, A History of Pakistan and its Origins covers historical, social, economic, political and religious aspects of this fascinating country and includes an up-to-date and in-depth analysis of recent events. It will appeal to experts, students and general readers alike.

A History of Pakistan and Its Origins

This account of Pakistan's complicated political mosaic focuses on ethnic tensions within the country, the Mohajir movement, Pashtun and Baloch nationalisms, and the "Punjabization" of the country. Contributors also look at the country's complex position within the South Asian region, including its foreign policy, and the dialectic between domestic and foreign policy, and the role of the army. The book raises many thought-provoking questions, including the definition of Palestinian identity, the control of the state, and the deeply flawed institution of democracy.

Nationalism Without a Nation

Pakistan

भीमराव आंबेडकर हिन्दुओं में पहले दलित या निम्न जाति नेता थे जिन्होंने पश्चिम जाकर पीएच-डी. जैसे सर्वोच्च स्तर तक की औपचारिक शिक्षा हासिल की थी । अपनी इस अभूतपूर्व उपलब्धि के बाबजूद वह अपनी जड़ो से जुड़े रहे और तमाम उम्र दलित अधिकारों के लिए लड़ते रहे । भारत के सबसे प्रखर और अग्रणी दलित नेता के रूप में आंबेडकर का स्थान निर्विवाद है । निम्न जातियों को एक अलग औपचारिक और कानूनी पहचान दिलाने के लिए आंबेडकर सालों तक भारत के स्वर्ण हिन्दू वर्चस्व वाले समूचे राजनीतिक प्रतिष्ठान से अकेले लोहा लेते रहे । स्वतंत्र भारत की पहली केन्द्र सरकार में आंबेडकर को कानून मंत्री और संविधान का प्रारूप तैयार करनेवाली समिति का अध्यक्ष नियुक्त किया गया । इन पदों पर रहते हुए उन्हें भारतीय राजनय पर गांधीवादी प्रभावों पर अंकुश लगाने में उल्लेखनीय सफलता मिली । क्रिस्तोफ़ जाफ्रलो ने उनके जीवन को समझने के लिए तीन सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण पहलुओं पर प्रकाश डाला है : एक समाज वैज्ञानिक के रूप में आंबेडकर; एक राजनेता और राजनीतिज्ञ के रूप में आंबेडकर; तथा स्वर्ण हिन्दुत्व के विरोधी एवं बौद्धधर्म के एक अनुयायी व प्रचारक के रूप मे आंबेडकर ।

Bhimrao Ambedkar : Ek Jeevani

Hindu nationalism came to world attention in 1998, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won national elections in India. Although the BJP was defeated nationally in 2004, it continues to govern large Indian states, and the movement it represents remains a major force in the world's largest democracy. This book presents the thought of the founding fathers and key intellectual leaders of Hindu nationalism from the time of the British Raj, through the independence period, to the present. Spanning more than 130 years of Indian history and including the writings of both famous and unknown ideologues, this reader reveals how the "Hindutuva" movement approaches key issues of Indian politics. Covering such important topics as secularism, religious conversion, relations with Muslims, education, and Hindu identity in the growing diaspora, this reader will be indispensable for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Indian politics, society, culture, or history.

A Reader

Hindu Nationalism

Although The Peaceful, Inward-Looking Doctrine Of The Hindu Religion Hardly Seems To Lend Itself To Endemic Nationalism, A Phenomenal Surge Of Militant Hinduism Has Taken Place Over The Last Ten Years In India. Indeed, The Electoral Success Of The Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp) Has Proven Beyond Doubt That These Forces Now Pose A Significant Threat To India S Secular Character. In A Historically Rich, Detailed Account Of The Hindu Nationalist Movement In India Since The 1920S, Christopher Jaffrelot Explores How Rapid Changes In The Political, Social, And Economic Climate Have Made India Fertile Soil For The Growth Of The Primary Arm Of Hindu Nationalism, A Paramilitary-Style Group Known As The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (Rss), Together With Its Political Offshoots. He Shows How The Hindu Movement Uses Religion To Enter The Political Sphere, And Argues That The Ideology They Speak For Has Less To Do With Hindu Philosophy Than With Ethnic Nationalism The Hindu Nationalist Movement And Indian Politics Makes A Major Contribution To The Study Of The Genesis And Development Of Religious Nationalism, And Is Essential Reading For Anyone Who Seeks To Comprehend The Spread Of Endemic Conflict.

Christophe Jaffrelot

About

Books

Join the club