Hindu Nationalism and Indian Politics: with an Introduction by Pratap Bhanu Mehta

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The rise and growth of Hindu nationalism is the salient feature of contemporary Indian politics. This omnibus brings together the best scholarship on Hindu nationalism, its organizational forms, political strategies, ideological claims, social base, and its relationship to other variants of nationalism. Meticulously researched and lucidly written, each of the three books included here, provides a wealth of empirical material and theoretical insights on this phenomenon.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta's thought-provoking introduction, especially written for this volume, examines the idea of Hindu nationalism and situates the three books in the present context.

While complementing each other, the volumes offer a powerful and persuasive analysis of the politics of Hindutva and its prospects. John Zavos' The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India traces its origins in the early part of the twentieth century, and enumerates the different political idioms and organizational strategies it employed. Thomas Blom Hansen's The Saffron Wave places it in the modern context and reflects on the relationship between Hindu nationalism and other forms of nationalism and democracy. Christophe Jaffrelot and Thomas Blom Hansen in The BJP and the Compulsions of Politics in India bring together scholarly studies on the BJP's political strategies in the context of electoral politics. The book analyses the party's political trajectories at the regional as well as the national level and the specific challenges it faces. At a time when the political resilience of Hindu nationalism is again in focus, these works will engage both the scholar and the general reader. This omnibus is a unique resource for students of modern history and politics, as also for policy-makers, analysts, and journalists.

About the Author:

John Zavos s Lecturer in South Asian Studies, University of Manchester, UK. Thomas Blom Hansen is Reader in Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Christophe Jaffrelot is Director, CERI, Paris. Pratap Bhanu Mehta is Visiting Professor of Government at Harvard University.

Excerpts From Reviews:

'This Omnibus edition of three outstanding studies by leading scholars of Indian politics provides a timely but enduring contribution to scholarship about the place of Hindu nationalist politics in India's public life.' - Llod I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, University of Chicago.

'Hindu nationalism is undeniably a formidable force in Indian politics today. Its true character and futer trajectory remain mired in controversy and dispute. A compendium of three remarkable books, this omnibus, more than any single text, allows one to make sense of Hindu nationalist ideology and politics. Not only are some of the best scholars of Hindu nationalism presented here, but we also have a new, politically insightful and intellectually fascinating introduction.' - Ashutosh Varshnay, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

'This omnibus usefully brings, between a single pair of covers, some of the best scholarship on the ideology and politics of Hindu nationalism.' - Niraja Gopal Jayal, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Introduction to the Omnibus VII

Note on Orthography
1. Introduction: Situating the Ideology of Hindu Nationalism
2. The State and the Hindu Religion in the Nineteenth Century
3. Indian Nationalism and Representations of Hinduism towards the End of the Nineteenth Century
4. Imagining the Constituency of Hindus in the Early Twentieth Century
5. Contextualizing Hindu Nationalism: The Development of Political Discourse in the Post-War Years
6. Organization and the Development of Hindu Nationalism in the Twenties
7. Conclusion:
Glossary of Indian Terms;
Bibliography
Index

THE SAFFRON WAVE
Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India
Thomas Blom Hansen

Introduction. Hindu Nationalism and Democracy in India
1. Modernity, Nation, and Democracy in India; The Democratic Revolution; Social Antagonisms and Politics
2. Imagining the Hindu Nation
3. Organizing the Hindu Nation
4. Democracy, Populism, and Governance in India in the 1980s
5. The Saffron Wave
6. Communal Identities at the Heart of the Nation
7. Hindu Nationalism, Democracy, and Globalization
   Notes;
   Glossary;
   Bibliography;
   Index

THE BJP AND THE COMPULSIONS OF POLITICS IN INDIA
Edited by Christophe Jaffrelot and Thomas Blom Hansen

Contributors;
Introduction: The BJP After the 1996 Elections Thomas Blom Hansen and Christophe Jaffrelot
1. BJP AND THE CASTE BERRIER: BEYOND THE 'TWICE-BORN'?
   1. The Sangh Between Sanskritization and Social Engineering Christophe Jaffrelot
   2. The BJP in Uttar Pradesh: From Hindutva to Consensual Politics Jasmine Zerinini-Brotel
   3. Rajput Hindutva, Caste Politics, Regional Identity and the Hindu Nationalism in Contemporary Rajasthan Rob Jenkins
2. A 'HINDI-BELT' PARTY OR A NATIONAL PARTY?
4. BJP and the Politics of Hindutva in Maharashtra Thomas Blom Hansen
5. Southern Discomfort: The BJP in Karnataka James Manor
6. Bounded Nationalism; Kerala and the Social and Regional Limits of Hindutva James Chiriyankandath
7. The Akalis and the BJP in Punjab: From Ayodhya to the 1997 Legislative Assembly Election Gurharpal Singh
3. DIVIDED THEYSTAND
8. The BJP's Riddle in Gujarat: Caste, Factionalism and Hindutva Ghanshyam Shah
9. BJP and the Challenge of Factionalism in Madhya Pradesh Christophe Jaffrelot
10. The Ethics of Hindutva and the Spirit of Capitalism Thomas Blom Hansen
    AFTERWORD Short Cuts to Power: From Lucknow to Delhi Thomas Blom Hansen, Zoya Hasan and Christophe Jaffrelot