This thesis examines developments around the politicization of the Taj Mahal by Hindu nationalists and its consequences on a local, national and international level. The act is discussed against...Show moreThis thesis examines developments around the politicization of the Taj Mahal by Hindu nationalists and its consequences on a local, national and international level. The act is discussed against the background of the currently ruling right-wing Indian government and the construction of an Indian national identity. By linking the case to the dynamics of meaning making around heritage, the thesis questions notions on the material and symbolic value of heritage in heritage representation. Moreover, the understanding of ‘heritage in conflict’ as it is done from an international perspective is challenged. Here, the discussion emphasizes the role and importance of international regulation regarding the protection of heritage sites outside conflict zones. The study concludes by drawing attention to the limitations of international governance in heritage management and further developments around the concept, which offer interesting fields to be explored.Show less
This paper looks at the interplay between gender and nationalism during times of ethnic violence. This is achieved by discussing the 2002 Gujarat carnage, specifically the unprecedented levels of...Show moreThis paper looks at the interplay between gender and nationalism during times of ethnic violence. This is achieved by discussing the 2002 Gujarat carnage, specifically the unprecedented levels of sexual violence that occurred during the conflict. It is argued that the Gujarat carnage was not a riot, as it is officially labelled, but instead an example of ethnic cleansing that was orchestrated by Hindu nationalist organisations, with the complicity of the Hindu nationalist state-government. In this light, the gendered nature of the violence can be attributed to the use of gendered rhetoric within the Hindu nationalist movement, that rests on the conflation of female chastity with the worth of the nation, and through discursively presenting the Muslim community as the threatening Other, using sexualised narratives.Show less
