Hindu Nationalism in South India

Hindu Nationalism in South India engages with a range of factors that shapes the trajectory of Hindu nationalism in Kerala, the southern state of India. 

Until recently, Kerala was considered a socio-political exception which had no room for Hindu nationalism. This book questions such Panglossian prognosis and shows the need to map the ideological and political growth of Hindu nationalism which has been downplayed in the academic discourse as temporary aberrations. The introduction to the book places Kerala in the context of South India. Arguing that Hindutva is a real force which needs to be contended within theoretical and empirical terms, the chapters in this book examine Hindu nationalism in Kerala in relation to themes such as history, caste, culture, post-truth, ideology, gender, politics, and the Indian national space. 

Considering the rise of Hindu nationalism in the recent years, this pioneering book will be of interest to a students and academics studying Politics, in particular Nationalism, Asian Politics and Religion and Politics and South Asian Studies.

"The shape of religion and secularism has hardly been uniform in India. Yet Hindu nationalism has affected them in all regions and states. Through a wide range of insightful essays, this extraordinary volume focuses on Kerala and deftly shows how this state is no longer the exception it once was. A pioneer in the study of state politics in India, this is a compelling read."

--Rajeev Bhargava, Director, Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi.