BRIDGING NEOLIBERALISM AND HINDU NATIONALISM : the role of education in bringing about... contemporary india

India will soon be the world’s most populated country and its political development will shape the world of the 21st century. Yet Hindu nationalism – central to contemporary Indian politics – is not well understood outside India, and its links to the global neoliberal trajectory have not been much explored. This important book provides in-depth insight into contemporary Indian politics and the wider societal acceptance of India’s Hindu nationalist trajectory. The authors show how education was the vehicle that linked neoliberalism with Hindu nationalism and allowed to it permeate through Indian society. Eight years of Modi rule have failed to bring about the developments that were promised, yet they have seen India’s rapid change from a largely inclusive society to one where minorities are denied their basic rights. Front Cover Bridging Neoliberalism and Hindu Nationalism: The Role of Education in Bringing about Contemporary India Copyright information Epigraph Dedication Table of contents List of abbreviations Preface Introduction A short review of neoliberalism and its effects on education From economic neoliberalism to nationalist populism Education as a political tool Methodology and data Content summary 1 The Role of Post-Colonial Politics in Re-Theorizing India’s Introduction The Nehruvian doctrine Building India on idealism Who is Indian in newly independent India? Nehru’s vision Nehruvian education policy The turning point, 1991 – India goes bust The world after the end of the Soviet Union The new economic situation Changing India’s economic model – neoliberal solutions in a globalizing world Economic reforms, decentralization to the states, and the rise of regional parties Post-reform education The rise of Hindu nationalism and BJP politics The results of the liberalization programme – what changes? The effects of the reforms on society The identity crisis of the middle classes How India went through three elections in five years National identity in an age of globalization Drawing the battle lines: the use of education to promote a new national identity Conclusion Part I Education and Ideology 2 Hindu Nationalism Versus Secularism and the Social Realities of Discrimination Introduction Background to textbooks’ revisions in India ‘Indianise, nationalise, spiritualise’: 2000–2004 The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) The textbooks between 2000 and 2004 Hindu cultural superiority The demonization and pathologization of Islam and the Muslim community Contestations Moving the debate to the states: 2004–2014 Congress rule The BJP returns in 2014 – a new Hinduized identity led by state governments The RSS takes charge of education policy The role of the state governments Historical events and exclusion of Muslims: distortions and omissions Discrimination on the ground – Ghar Wapsi campaign, love jihad, and the cow vigilantes Delhi’s Happiness Curriculum, Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum – Hindu traditions and role models Deshbhakti (patriotism) curriculum in Delhi government schools The 2019 elections and the new NEP 2020 The NEP’s saffron edges The NEP 2020 Conclusion 3 India’s Neoliberal Schools: The Hindu Nationalist and Neoliberal Agenda in School Education Introduction Government schools PPPs as a solution The neoliberal approach of NGOs Teachers’ realities on the ground Private schools RSS-run schools Conclusion Part II The Effects of Neoliberalism on Teachers and Higher Education 4 Teachers’ Voices: Neoliberal and Hindu Nationalist Agendas in School Education in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Guwahati Introduction Background to school education in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Guwahati Neoliberalism and private schools: teachers’ views on parental choice Teachers’ views on the NEP 2020 and the BJP’s language policy – the merging of neoliberal and Hindu nationalist agendas The NEP 2020 language policy and teachers’ views Conclusion 5 Higher Education, Neoliberalism, and Hindu Nationalism Introduction India’s HE sector Institutes of National Importance Funding issues in HE The BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda in HE Hinduism takes its place in universities 1998–2004 Post-2014 HE – the RSS Hindutva agenda Reductions in scholarships and fee hikes Student protests and academic freedom The onslaught on certain HE institutions – JNU as an example The ramifications for academic freedom Social diversity, inclusion, and discrimination in HE The rise of the private alternative Looking forward – the NEP 2020 and HE The NEP’s saffron edges Conclusion Part III Whither India? 6 The Effects of the Indian Political Choice Model on Citizenship under the BJP Government Introduction What is citizenship and why is it so important in domestic politics? National identity and citizenship Citizenship education The rise of Islamophobia Jammu and Kashmir, and the abrogation of Article 370 Assam and the NRC Background of the problem The role of the RSS in saffronizing Assam Updating the National Register of Citizens The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 Delhi protests, 2019 Farmers’ protests Conclusion Epilogue: India at 75 Appendix 1: Pratab Banu Metha’s Article Appendix 2: Distribution of Teachers and Schools from the Study Areas Appendix 3: School Education in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Assam Delhi Government schools Private schools Chandigarh Government schools Private schools Mumbai (Maharashtra) Government schools Private schools Bengaluru (Karnataka) Government schools Private schools Jaipur (Rajasthan) Government schools Private schools Assam Government schools Private schools References Textbooks Index Back Cover India will soon be the world’s most populated country and its political development will shape the world of the 21st century. Yet Hindu nationalism - at the helm of contemporary Indian politics - is not well understood outside of India, and its links to the global neoliberal trajectory have not been much explored. This important book shows for the first time why it is education, not a failed political system, that led to the rise of Modi and the right-wing nationalist ideology of Hindutva. It provides in depth insight into contemporary Indian politics and wider societal acceptance of India’s Hindu nationalist trajectory, as well as examining the role of class. The first five years of Modi rule failed to bring about the development that had been promised and have seen India’s rapid change from a largely inclusive society to one where religious minorities are denied their basic rights.India will soon be the world’s most populated country and its political development will shape the world of the 21st century. Yet Hindu nationalism - at the helm of contemporary Indian politics - is not well understood outside of India, and its links to the global neoliberal trajectory have not been much explored. This important book shows for the first time why it is education, not a failed political system, that led to the rise of Modi and the right-wing nationalist ideology of Hindutva. It provides in depth insight into contemporary Indian politics and wider societal acceptance of India’s Hindu nationalist trajectory, as well as examining the role of class. The first five years of Modi rule failed to bring about the development that had been promised and have seen India’s rapid change from a largely inclusive society to one where religious minorities are denied their basic rights India will soon be the world’s most populated country and its political development will shape the world of the 21st century. Yet Hindu nationalism – at the helm of contemporary Indian politics – is not well understood outside of India, and its links to the global neoliberal trajectory have not been explored. Covering 30 years of Indian politics, this book shows for the first time the importance of education in propagating the acceptance of Hindu nationalism within a neolberal system, including the reframing of the concept of Indian citizenship. The first five years of Modi rule failed to bring about the development that had been promised and have seen India’s rapid change from a largely inclusive society to one where religious minorities are denied their basic rights.