The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India

300 Pages·1999·1.05 MB·English

by  Thomas Blom Hansen

THE SAFFRONWAVE
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THE SAFFRON WAVE
DEMOCRACY AND HINDU NATIONALISM
IN MODERN INDIA
Thomas Blom Hansen
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright1999byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,
Chichester,WestSussex
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Hansen,ThomasBlom,1958–.
Thesaffronwave:democracyandHindunationalism
inmodernIndia/ThomasBlomHansen.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-691-00670-9(alk.paper).—ISBN0-691-00671-7(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Hinduismandpolitics—India. 2.Nationalism—Religiousaspects—
Hinduism. 3.India—Politicsandgovernment—1977– I.Title.
BL1215.P65
294.5′5′0954—dc21 98-33355
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinPalatino
Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirements
ofANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992(R1997)(PermanenceofPaper)
http://pup.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
(Pbk.)
Contents
Introduction. HinduNationalismandDemocracyinIndia 3
HinduNationalismandPostcolonialTrajectoriesofDemocracy 5
HinduNationalismandtheImaginingsofIndia 10
AboutThisBook 14
1. Modernity,Nation,andDemocracyinIndia 16
TheDemocraticRevolution 20
SocialAntagonismsandPolitics 22
DiscourseandtheAnalysisofPolitics 24
GovernanceandNationalisminColonialIndia 29
ColonialGovernmentalities 31
IndiaasaCulturalNation 39
CompetingNationalistDiscourses 44
ProducingCitizensandCommunitiesinIndependentIndia 46
Conclusion 57
2. ImaginingtheHinduNation 60
IdeologyandtheImpossibilityofIdentities 60
ObjectificationofCommunities 65
InversionofOrientalistEpistemology 67
SemitizationofHinduism 71
FromHinduCommunityto“HinduNation” 74
Hindutvaandthe“Lack”intheHindus 77
TheNationasFullnessandPurity:M.S.Golwalkar 80
IntheGandhianGarb:DeendayalUpadhyayaand
“IntegralHumanism” 84
Constructingthe“FoundingMyth” 86
Conclusion:HinduNationalismandDemocraticRevolution 88
3. OrganizingtheHinduNation 90
CultureversusPolitics 92
TheSanghParivar 96
SevikasinThaneCity 99
HinduMissionariesattheFrontier 104
Cohesion,Leadership,andControlintheSanghParivar 107
ConstituenciesandStrategiesoftheSanghParivar 115
The“Sangha”CitadelinPune 116
LowerCastesforaHigherCause 122
vi CONTENTS
TheSanghParivarinthePoliticalField 126
AmbiguitiesofPolitics 133
4. Democracy,Populism,andGovernanceinIndiainthe1980s 134
PopulismandtheTransformationofGovernance 134
CompetingPopulisms 140
TheRiseoftheOtherBackwardClassesasaPoliticalIdentity 141
CasteandtheImpuritiesofPolitics 145
ReligiousSymbolsinthePoliticalField 148
MuslimMinoritization 150
AHegemonialCrisis 152
5. TheSaffronWave 154
TowardaNationalHinduism 154
BJPasaNewBeginning 157
CommunalizingthePoliticalField 159
PatrioticBricks 161
ContingenciesofElectoralPolitics 165
OpeningOtherFronts 168
RoadsidePatriotism 169
AyodhyaandOrganizedCommunalism 172
TheDemolitionofBabriMasjidandAfter 181
TheDisjunctionofAgitationalandElectoralPolitics 185
HindutvaandRespectability 188
PoliticalImaginariesinSuburbia 191
AftertheWave 197
6. CommunalIdentitiesattheHeartoftheNation 200
TheNormalandthePathological 200
ViolenceandCommunalConsciousness 203
CommunalSubjectsandPoliticalAction 214
7. HinduNationalism,Democracy,andGlobalization 218
HinduNationalismandGovernance 219
HinduNationalismandDemocracy 223
HinduNationalismandGlobalization 229
DemocracyandXenophobiasinIndia 235
Notes 239
Glossary 269
Bibliography 273
Index 289
THE SAFFRONWAVE
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Introduction
Hindu Nationalism and Democracy in India
WITHIN THE PAST DECADE, the Hindu nationalist movement in India,
ledby themilitantorganizationRashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh(RSS),
with branches and subsidiariesin manyfields of life incontemporary
India,hasgrownintothemostpowerfulclusterofpoliticalandcultural
organizations in the country. Hindu nationalist agendas, discourses,
andinstitutionshave graduallypenetrated everyday lifeandhaveac-
quiredagrowing,ifnotuncontested,socialrespectabilityincontempo-
raryIndiansociety.
In the general elections in February 1998, the political wing of the
Hindu nationalist movement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), polled
more than a quarter of the popular vote in India and emerged as the
largest party in the Lok Sabha in Delhi. In late March 1998, the BJP’s
leader, Atal BehariVajpayee,becameIndia’sprimeminister,incharge
ofafragilecoalitiongovernmentformedbytheBJPandtwelvesmaller
regional parties. Less than two months later, on the 11th and 13th of
May, in Pokhran in the Rajasthan desert, five nuclear bombs were
tested. This instantaneously put India on the global map as a nuclear
powerandinitiatedanewphaseinthedecade-oldarmsracebetween
India and Pakistan, andit generated deepworries inwestern govern-
mentsandpublics.ThedecisiontoassertIndia’splaceintheworldby
acquiring nuclear capabilities was met with general approval among
political parties in India from left to right. The response from news-
papers seemed even more positive, opinion polls indicated over-
whelming support to the decision, and the BJP could now appear on
the domestic scene in its much-desired role as the most resolute de-
fender of India’s national pride and its national interest. When a local
RSSorganizerinthewesternstateofGujarattoldajournalist,“afterthe
nucleartests,manyothernationshaverealizedthatIndiaisnotmerely
adevelopingnation,butasuperpower,”hewasnotmerelyarticulating
aHindunationalistsentiment.1HisandtheRSS’sexhilarationatanew-
found national self-respect seemed to resonate with widely held per-
ceptions of nation, cultural pride, and India’s place in global hierar-
chies.Complex questionsof how,andwhy,India’sHindunationalists
couldacquiretheauthoritytoenunciatethisbroaderquestforrecogni-
tion and national identity—of how and why they could ensure their