OUT NOW FROM VERSO:
THE RISE OF HINDU AUTHORITARIANISM: SECULAR CLAIMS, COMMUNAL REALITIES
By Achin Vanaik
The definitive analysis of Hindu nationalism in contemporary India and the challenges for the radical Left
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2413-the-rise-of-hindu-authoritarianism
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With the Hindu nationalist BJP now replacing the Congress as the only national political force, the communalization of the Indian polity has qualitatively advanced since the earlier edition of this book in 1997. This edition has been substantially reworked and updated with several new chapters added. Hindutva’s rise necessitates a more critical take on mainstream secular claims, ironically reinforced by liberal–left sections discovering special virtues in India’s ‘distinctive’ secularism. The careful evaluation of the ongoing debate on ‘Indian fascism’ has resonances for the broader debate about how best to assess the dangers of the far right’s rise in other liberal democracies. A study follows of how Hindutva forces are pursuing their project of establishing a Hindu Rashtra and how to thwart them through a wider transformative struggle targeting capitalism itself.
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“Vanaik touches on almost all the fault lines and nerve ends of political discourse in India today. He has taken on the arguments against modernity and secularism that have been made by some of India’s best-known intellectuals. This is a book that deserves to be read and to be thought about.”
– Arundhati Roy, author of Capitalism: A Ghost Story
“Vanaik’s reading of Hindu authoritarianism is, by a very long chalk, the most intricate, comprehensive and rich account of the present crisis in India and of the historical circumstances wherein it is embedded.”
– Tanika Sarkar, historian and author of Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation
“Secularism for Vanaik is an essential component of democracy. It also gives a spine to nationalism in insisting on the equal rights of all citizens, and this precludes projecting a section of society as the enemy within. In discussing fascism, the author rightly emphasizes the danger of the possible combination of communalism and capitalism in a way that could bring about a fascist system.”
– Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University
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PAPERBACK: MARCH 2017 / 432 PAGES / ISBN 9781786630728 / $29.95 / £19.99 / $39.99 (CAN)
AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2413-the-rise-of-hindu-authoritarianism
For more information on university inspection/desk copies visit: http://www.versobooks.com/pg/desk-copies
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