Hindu nationalism

Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" is a simplistic translation of हिन्दू राष्ट्रवाद (Hindū Rāṣṭravād). It is better described as "Hindu polity".[1]

The native thought streams became highly relevant in Indian history when they helped form a distinctive identity in relation to the Indian polity[2] and provided a basis for questioning colonialism.[3][page needed] These also provided inspiration to Indian nationalists during the independence movement based on armed struggle,[4][page needed] coercive politics,[5] and non-violent protests.[6][page needed] They also influenced social reform movements and economic thinking in India.[5][page needed]

Today, Hindutva (meaning "Hinduness") is a dominant form of Hindu nationalist politics in India. As a political ideology, the term Hindutva was articulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923.[7] The Hindutva movement has been described as a variant of "right-wing extremism"[8] and as "almost fascist in the classical sense", adhering to a concept of homogenised majority and cultural hegemony.[9] Some analysts dispute the "fascist" label, and suggest Hindutva is an extreme form of "conservatism" or "ethnic absolutism".[10] Some have also described Hindutva as a separatist ideology.[11][12] Hindutva is championed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu Nationalist volunteer organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sanatan Sanstha,[7] the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and other organisations in an ecosystem called the Sangh Parivar.[13]

  1. ^ Jain, Girilal (1994). The Hindu Phenomenon. New Delhi: UBS Publishers' Distributors. ISBN 978-81-86112-32-8.
  2. ^ Chatterjee Partha (1986)
  3. ^ Peter van der Veer, Hartmut Lehmann, Nation and religion: perspectives on Europe and Asia, Princeton University Press, 1999
  4. ^ Li Narangoa, R. B. Cribb Imperial Japan and National Identities in Asia, 1895–1945, Published by Routledge, 2003
  5. ^ a b Bhatt, Chetan, Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern Myths, Berg Publishers (2001), ISBN 978-1-85973-348-6.
  6. ^ Vidya Dhar Mahajan; Savitri Mahajan (1971). Constitutional history of India, including the nationalist movement (6th ed.). Delhi: S. Chand.
  7. ^ a b "Hindutva is not the same as Hinduism said Savarkar". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  8. ^ Leidig, Eviane (26 May 2020). "Hindutva as a variant of right-wing extremism". Patterns of Prejudice. 54 (3): 215–237. doi:10.1080/0031322X.2020.1759861. hdl:10852/84144. ISSN 0031-322X. S2CID 221839031.
  9. ^ Patnaik, Prabhat (1993). "The Fascism of Our Times". Social Scientist. 21 (3/4): 69–77. doi:10.2307/3517631. ISSN 0970-0293. JSTOR 3517631.
  10. ^ Bhatt, Chetan; Mukta, Parita (1 January 2000). "Hindutva in the West: mapping the antinomies of diaspora nationalism". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 23 (3): 407–441. doi:10.1080/014198700328935. ISSN 0141-9870. S2CID 143287533.
  11. ^ Anthony Parel (2000). Gandhi, Freedom, and Self-rule. Lexington Books. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-7391-0137-7. The agendas of Hindutva though strong on the issues of self - identity and self - definition, have tended to be separatist.
  12. ^ Siddharth Varadarajan (2002). Gujarat, the Making of a Tragedy. Penguin Books. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-14-302901-4.
  13. ^ "Frontline.in". www.frontline.in. Retrieved 2 September 2021.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search