This thesis seeks to answer the following research question: in what ways has economic development enabled the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ensuing spread of Hindu-nationalism in...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the following research question: in what ways has economic development enabled the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ensuing spread of Hindu-nationalism in India? Despite India’s impressive economic growth of the last decades, India society is still lacking widespread human development. Social cohesion is not only threatened by discontent over stagnating overall quality of life but also by the increase of Hindu-nationalist rhetoric, violence, and policies. By examining India’s neoliberalization since 1991, this thesis attempts to draw potential correlations between neoliberalism and surging nationalism. The goal is to highlight how the BJP and their leader Narendra Modi opportunistically employs pledges of inclusive growth to either attract or appease the Indian electorate. The research of this thesis sets off with a literature review of secondary sources about economic development with a focus neoliberalism as a model and its relationship to populism. The case of Chile is employed as an example to highlight the potential implications a neoliberal economy has on human development and social unrest. The literature review is followed by a short chapter on India’s history since independence. A thorough analysis of Narendra Modi’s political beginnings as well as the Gujarat Model give a first idea of his vision for the South Asian nation. Then, this thesis discusses how a declining economy led to another switch in rhetoric and gave the BJP impetus to exclusive Hindu-nationalist policies, resulting in an ever-increasing division of India’s heterogenous society that leaves the Muslim minority subordinated and oppressed.Show less
This thesis seeks to answer the following research questions: in what ways has economic development enabled the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ensuing spread of Hindu-nationalism in...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the following research questions: in what ways has economic development enabled the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ensuing spread of Hindu-nationalism in India? Despite India’s impressive economic growth of the last decades, India society is still lacking widespread human development. Social cohesion is not only threatened by discontent over stagnating overall quality of life but also by the increase of Hindu-nationalist rhetoric, violence, and policies. By examining India’s neoliberalization since 1991, this thesis attempts to draw potential correlations between neoliberalism and surging nationalism. The goal is to highlight how the BJP and their leader Narendra Modi opportunistically employs pledges of inclusive growth to either attract or appease the Indian electorate. The research of this thesis sets off with a literature review of secondary sources about economic development with a focus neoliberalism as a model and its relationship to populism. The case of Chile is employed as an example to highlight the potential implications a neoliberal economy has on human development and social unrest. The literature review is followed by a short chapter on India’s history since independence. A thorough analysis of Narendra Modi’s political beginnings as well as the Gujarat Model give a first idea of his vision for the South Asian nation. Then, this thesis discusses how a declining economy led to another switch in rhetoric and gave the BJP impetus to exclusive Hindu-nationalist policies, resulting in an ever-increasing division of India’s heterogenous society that leaves the Muslim minority subordinated and oppressed.Show less
Economic development and nationalism are deeply connected topics. This thesis will research the utilization of historical aspects of Indian nationalism and the Indian national identity in the...Show moreEconomic development and nationalism are deeply connected topics. This thesis will research the utilization of historical aspects of Indian nationalism and the Indian national identity in the discourse on economic development. By utilizing a framework that is based on the reiteration, recapture, reinterpretation and repudiation of historical aspects with in the discourse on economic development this thesis is arguing that PM Modi is mobilizing nationalism in order to aid his development plan. By researching how the PM is addressing difference audiences this thesis shows how there is not one single nationalism/ national identity but multiple and these can be used to reach specific goals. By applying an established framework on a new region this thesis ties to open up the discussion of contemporary nationalism and engage with the question of western vs eastern nationalism.Show less
Consociationalism has evolved to become the dominant theory for managing political stability in heterogeneous states. Consociations fragment power, delineate societies, adopt group-based rights and...Show moreConsociationalism has evolved to become the dominant theory for managing political stability in heterogeneous states. Consociations fragment power, delineate societies, adopt group-based rights and are governed by elites representing different ethnic groups. However, the primordialist understanding of identity, institutionalised policies of differential treatment and a number of normative failings means consociationalism actually increases the political instability it is purported to mitigate. India, one of the most diverse and complex societies on earth, has adopted several consociational mechanisms upon independence. The recently increased consociational nature of India has strengthened specific identities and increased intergroup and intragroup antagonisms resulting in rising political instability. This is empirically demonstrated by data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau. The 16th Lok Sabha election in 2014 represented a watershed moment for Indian politics and the saturation point for consociationalism. A disenchanted electorate turned overwhelmingly to the most anti-consociational party in the political system – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party has been the most outspoken critic of consociational policies often describing them as ‘minorityism’ (Varshney, 1993:252). The BJP, with a platform of development intertwined with an Indian identity, transcended the entrenched norms of Indian politics. The rise of the Saffron party challenges the theoretical validity and epistemological underpinnings of consociationalism. The normative manifestations – coalition governments and affirmative action programmes – played a paramount role in the BJP’s ascendency. The shifting landscape of Indian politics is not limited to the national level. The BJP now controls the majority of state governments. In India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, where caste mobilisations are especially strong, the BJP gained a landlside victory in the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election.Show less
