Description |
1 online resource (xviii, 403 pages) : map |
Contents |
1. Genocide in Gurjarat -- 2. The human face of the Hindu right -- 3. Tagore, Gandhi, Nehru -- 4. A democracy of pluralism, respect, equality -- 5. The rise of the Hindu right -- 6. Fantasies of purity and domination -- 7. The assault on history -- 8. The education wars -- 9. The diaspora community -- 10. The clash within |
Summary |
While America is focused on religious militancy and terrorism in the Middle East, democracy has been under siege from religious extremism in another critical part of the world. As Martha Nussbaum reveals in this penetrating look at India today, the forces of the Hindu right pose a disturbing threat to its democratic traditions and secular state. Since long before the 2002 Gujarat riots--in which nearly two thousand Muslims were killed by Hindu extremists--the power of the Hindu right has been growing, threatening India's hard-won constitutional practices of democracy, tolerance, and religious pluralism. Led politically by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu right has sought the subordination of other religious groups and has directed particular vitriol against Muslims, who are cast as devils in need of purging. The Hindu right seeks to return to a "pure" India, unsullied by alien polluters of other faiths, yet the BJP's defeat in recent elections demonstrates the power that India's pluralism continues to wield. The future, however, is far from secure, and Hindu extremism and exclusivity remain a troubling obstacle to harmony in South Asia. Nussbaum's long-standing professional relationship with India makes her an excellent guide to its recent history. Ultimately she argues that the greatest threat comes not from a clash between civilizations, as some believe, but from a clash within each of us, as we oscillate between self-protective aggression and the ability to live in the world with others. India's story is a cautionary political tale for all democratic states striving to act responsibly in an increasingly dangerous world |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-381) and index |
Notes |
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL |
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In English |
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Print version record |
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digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL |
Subject |
Hindutva.
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Communalism -- India
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Hinduism and state.
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Violence -- Religious aspects -- Hinduism.
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Democracy -- India
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Religious fanaticism -- Hinduism.
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POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Ideologies -- Nationalism.
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POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Ideologies -- Nationalism & Patriotism.
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Politics and Government.
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Religious fanaticism -- Hinduism
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Violence -- Religious aspects -- Hinduism
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Communalism
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Democracy
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Hinduism and state
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Hindutva
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India
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Form |
Electronic book
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ISBN |
9780674041561 |
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0674041569 |
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0674030591 |
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9780674030596 |
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