Indian Secularism

"'Secularism—the idea that was supposed to secure social integration and reflect the universal character of human enlightenment—is dead,' (p. 5) provocatively states Tejani (School of Oriental and African Studies, Univ. of London). She then states, quite correctly, that secularism, as well as such concepts as modernity and religion, was given different meanings by different people at different moments in history. She looks at the concept of secularism by examining what it has meant to India in modern times. The author divides the six chapters into three sections: 'Nationalism,' which focuses on Hindu nationalism in Maharashtra in the 19th century; 'Communalism' of the 1920s and early 1930s, in which she reaffirms the point that Gandhi's claim to be a sanatani (orthodox) Hindu was central to the alienation of Muslims (and Sikhs and untouchables); and 'Secularism,' wherein she argues that the concept of secularism replaced that of nationalism in 1947 when any idea of quotas for religious minorities became political anathema. What comes through in Tejani's study is that despite claims to the contrary, India was (and is) dominated by one ethnic group, variously orthodox but homogeneously Hindu. Paradoxically, by coding for nationalism, Indian secularism ended up impeding nation building. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. —Choice"—R. D. Long, Eastern Michigan University, October 2009

"Indian Secularism is a provocative book. It begins with the judgment that secularism is dead, for reasons of semantic vaporization and loss of prescriptive value. It ends with the aspiration for a 'more democratic and plural society.May 2010"—Dilip Simeon, Independent Scholar and Historian

"Tejani draws our attention to the evolution of secularism as a political concept in colonial India, and to the often unexpected conceptual anchors that continue to exert a determinative, though hidden, influence over secular politics up to the present day.Vol. 115 Feb. 2010"—Srirupa Roy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Indian Secularism . . . provides us with a nuanced, historical account of the developmental relationship of ideas of nationalism comunalism, and secularism in India. It will be of interest to many readers.V.10.2 Fall 2009"—Manu Bhagavan, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History

"What comes through in Tejani's study is that despite claims to the contrary, India was (and is) dominated by one ethnic group, variously orthodox but homogeneously Hindu.October 2009"—Choice