Pluralism and Democracy in India

Debating the Hindu Right

By: Wendy Doniger (Editor), Martha C. Nussbaum (Editor)

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Paperback | 13 November 2014

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416 Pages

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23.39 x 15.6 x 2.26

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Wendy Doniger and Martha Nussbaum bring together leading scholars from a wide array of disciplines to address a crucial question: How does the world's most populous democracy survive repeated assaults on its pluralistic values? India's stunning linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity has been supported since Independence by a political structure that emphasizes equal rights for all, and protects liberties of religion and speech. But a decent Constitution does not implement itself, and challenges to these core values repeatedly arise-most recently in the form of the Hindu Right movements of the twenty-first century that threatened to destabilize the nation and upend its core values, in the wake of a notorious pogrom in the state of Gujarat in which approximately 2000 Muslim civilians were killed.

Focusing on this time of tension and threat, the essays in this volume consider how a pluralistic democracy managed to survive. They examine the role of political parties and movements, including the women's movement, as well as the role of the arts, the press, the media, and a historical legacy of pluralistic thought and critical argument. Featuring essays from eminent scholars in history, religious studies, political science, economics, women's studies, and media studies, Pluralism and Democracy in India offers an urgently needed case study in democratic survival. As Nehru said of India on the eve of Independence: ''These dreams are for India, but they are also for the world.'' The analysis this volume offers illuminates not only the past and future of one nation, but the prospects of democracy for all.

Industry Reviews

"Informed by several different disciplinary perspectives, and grounded in solid scholarship, the essayists in Pluralism and Democracy in India: Debating the Hindu Right are clear-eyed about the many inadequacies in India s democratic structure that allow anti-minority politics to flourish. The contributions on secular and religious Indians and curricular reform are a promising beginning for those who believe that a dialogue among the left, the center, and the right may still be possible. This is a timely, hopeful collection."--Current History "This is a timely conversation about the resilience of India's pluralist democracy in a variety of spheres, from education and the media to electoral politics, public institutions and the diaspora. The essays point to how challenges to a democratic public culture can be resisted by drawing upon India's long historical tradition of critical thinking, argument and dissent." --Niraja G. Jayal, Professor in the Center for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University "There are 20 essays in this volume devoted to addressing the central question of how India's pluralism and democracy can face the challenges posed by the growing Hindu Right. The range of the essays is wide, covering not only every possible aspect of the threat to pluralism, but also examining how different institutions of a democracy like India, particularly the media, have made this challenge more complex and even formidable." --Business Standard "Doniger and Nussbaum's exceptional contribution will likely shape the future of how scholars examine Hindu nationalism and India's diverse culture... Highly recommended." --CHOICE

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