Religion Hindu Nationalism and Social Actors

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Religion-Hindu Nationalism and Social Actors-

• Goto Takeshi
• -Department of Multi Cultural Society-
• Presentation for Mediated Society Feb. 3rd
  2006

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Contents

• Introduction
• Hindu Nationalism
• Democracy and Hindu Nationalism
• The Activities and Social Mobilizations
• Counteraction of Social Actors

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1. Introduction

• India is the biggest democratic state in the
  world. In the past decade, Hindu nationalist
  movement in India has grown into the most
  powerful political organizations within the
  framework of parliamentary democracy. The rise of
  Hindu nationalism was regarded hitherto as
  antidemocratic political movement. However, its
  another understanding have been offered by recent
  scholars. Those state that the rise of Hindu
  nationalism is rather the consequence of Indian
  democracy.
• The aim of this presentation is to show how the
  religion-based political movement mobilizes the
  emerging middle classes and the lowers into the
  nation.

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Communal conflicts

• Common recognition about Hindu nationalism is
  like pictures below. These are the scenes of
  communal conflict.
• Left Destruction of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya
• Right Attack to Muslim pilgrims train

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2. Hindu Nationalism

• Organizations and upholders
• Rashtriya Swayamseak Sangh (RSS)
• Hindu supremacist organization which bases itself
  on the principles of Hindutva (Hinduness).
• The aims is build up the solidarity of Hindu
  society
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Indian Peoples Party.
• One of the biggest political party in India
• supported by RSS.
• Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)
• World Hindu Council.
• Hindu cleric body created by RSS.

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3. Democracy and Hindu Nationalism

• Prehistory
• Since the independence National Congress had been
  the dominant party in Indian politics.
• The feature was elitist, secularist, socialistic
  in economics, and nonalignened in diplomacy.
• The rise of Hindu nationalism
• Since 70s India moved into the populist politics
  with the emergence of middle class. Hindu
  nationalist parties gradually gained its support
  among middle class.
• Since late 80s BJP grew into the biggest
  opposition and finally in 1996 BJP government was
  formed.
• The policy of BJP government is populism,
  religion-based nationalism, liberalist economy
  and coercive diplomacy.

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The tactics of Hindu nationalist

• The extension of democracy in postcolonial India
  enable for the lower classes to approach to the
  political power, which previously monopolized by
  privileged class. Early period of Indian
  democracy was still controlled by high class, but
  gradually with the growth of middle class, the
  power balance shifted from elite to plebs. The
  shift was significant to the transformation of
  political ideology. Through the nationalist and
  xenophobic (or anti Islamic) discourse was
  exploited for the integration and mobilization of
  the mass. Consequently, India was reform as the
  Hindu Nation.

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4.The Activities and Social Mobilization

• RSS organizes multiple activities for the mass
• Establishment of private schools
• Social welfare for rural and urban poor(Sewa
  bharati)
• Medical service and volunteer
• Women empowerment activities
• Organizing economic body and labor union
• Shakha, etc.
• These network of activities are called Sangh
  Pariwar (family group), and BJP and VHP is one
  of these.

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The Shakha training

• Shakha is everyday
• military-like training for boys,
• which is organized by RSS.
• It trains healthy body and
• spirit through self-control and stoicism.
• This is typical kind of modern apparatus to
  create homogenous, disciplined and mobilizable
  Hindu nation.

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5. Counteraction of Social Actors

• The ideological activities of RSS target to
  mobilize the lower classed in rural and urban
  area into the Hindu nationalist movement.
• Though ideology of RSS of Hindu nationalism is
  spread through Sangh Pariwar, not every
  individual follows the ideology itself. People
  are using the opportunities to profit themselves.
  
• If the Cultural Studies theory of social actor
  as agency would be suited to the phenomena, it
  shows that these nationalist movements cannot be
  perceived as top-down exercise of power.