Revisiting Communalism and Fundamentalism in India

This comprehensive review of the literature on communalism – and its virulent offshoot, fundamentalism – in India considers the various perspectives from which the issue has sought to be understood, from precolonial and colonial times to the post-Independence period. The writings indicate that commu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic and political weekly 2012-09, Vol.47 (36), p.35-57
Main Authors: UPADHYAY, SURYA PRAKASH, ROBINSON, ROWENA
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colonialism
Communalism
Communities
Ecocommunalism
Economic policy
Fundamentalism
Gandhi, Indira
Hindus
Islam
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority & ethnic violence
Muslims
Nationalism
Politics
Religion
Religious terrorism
Riots
Secularism
Social sciences
SURVEY
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Summary:This comprehensive review of the literature on communalism – and its virulent offshoot, fundamentalism – in India considers the various perspectives from which the issue has sought to be understood, from precolonial and colonial times to the post-Independence period. The writings indicate that communalism is an outcome of the competitive aspirations of domination and counter-domination that began in colonial times. Cynical distortions of the democratic process and the politicisation of religion in the early decades of Independence intensified it. In recent years, economic liberalisation, the growth of opportunities and a multiplying middle class have further aggravated it. More alarmingly, since the 1980s, Hindu communalism has morphed into fundamentalism, with the Sangh parivar and its cultural politics of Hindutva playing ominous roles.
ISSN:0012-9976
2349-8846