Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern MythsThe rise of authoritarian Hindu mass movements and political formations in India since the early 1980s raises fundamental questions about the resurgence of chauvinistic ethnic, religious and nationalist movements in the late modern period. This book examines the history and ideologies of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva from the end of the last century to the present, and critically evaluates the social and political philosophies and writings of its main thinkers.Hindu nationalism is based on the claim that it is an indigenous product of the primordial and authentic ethnic and religious traditions of India. The book argues instead that these claims are based on relatively recent ideas, frequently related to western influences during the colonial period. These influences include eighteenth and nineteenth century European Romantic and Enlightenment rationalist ideas preoccupied with archaic primordialism, evolution, organicism, vitalism and race. As well as considering the ideological impact of National Socialism and Fascism on Hindu nationalism in the 1930s, the book also looks at how Aryanism continues to be promoted in unexpected forms in contemporary India. Using a wide range of historical and contemporary sources, the author considers the consequences of Hindu nationalist resurgence in the light of contemporary debates about minorities, secular citizenship, ethics and modernity. |
Contents
| 1845 | |
| 1846 | |
| 1851 | |
Beyond the Arya Ideal | 1882 |
From Revolutionary Nationalism to Hindutva | 1916 |
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs Ordered Society | |
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activists activities affiliation Akhil ancient anti-colonial archaic argued articulated Arya Samaj Aryan Ayodhya Bengal bhakti Bharat Bharatiya Janata Party Bombay brahmin British campaigns caste Christianity claimed colonial India conceived conception Congress constitutional contemporary Conversely cultural Dayananda Delhi demonstrated dharma early economic Emergency fascism foreign Gandhi Gandhian Golwalkar 1944 Hedgewar hence Hindu communal Hindu Mahasabha Hindu nationalism Hindu nationalist Hindu Rashtra Hindu religious Hindu Sabha Hindu Sangathan Hinduism Hindutva Hindutva movement idea ideology important Indian nationalism Islam Jaffrelot 1996 Jana Sangh Lajpat Rai 1966b Lal Chand latter leaders Maharashtra minorities Moonje national movement nineteenth century non-cooperation organization Parishad parivar period philosophy political Pradesh primordial racial Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh rejected religion revolutionary RSS's Samiti sangh parivar satyagraha Savarkar secular shakha shankaracharyas Shivaji Shraddhanand shuddhi Similarly social strategy Swami symbolic Tilak traditions tribal untouchables Upadhyaya Vedas Vedic VHP’s violence Vishwa Hindu Parishad