National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy (Pelican Books)

A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR A crucial new guide to one of the most important and most dangerous phenomena of our time: the rise of populism in the West Across the West, there is a rising tide of people who feel excluded, alienated from mainstream politics, and increasingly hostile towards minorities, immigrants and neo-liberal economics. Many of these voters are turning to national populist movements, which pose the most serious threat to the Western liberal democratic system, and its values, since the Second World War. From the United States to France, Austria to the UK, the national populist challenge to mainstream politics is all around us. But what is behind this exclusionary turn? Who supports these movements and why? What does their rise tell us about the health of liberal democratic politics in the West? And what, if anything, should we do to respond to these challenges? Written by two of the foremost experts on fascism and the rise of the populist right, National Populism is a lucid and deeply-researched guide to the radical transformations of today's political landscape, revealing why liberal democracies across the West are being challenged-and what those who support them can do to help stem the tide. "With Narendra Modi's right-wing anti-Muslim government tightening its control over Kashmir, it is clear that Hindu nationalism, also known as Hindutva, holds immense political importance in India. Anustup Basu traces the genealogy of this ideology, from its colonial roots to its contemporary form. Prior to colonialism, Hinduism manifested as a constellation of diverse spiritual beliefs and pieties that could co-exist with Christianity or Islam. Basu demonstrates that European thinkers imposed a monotheistic imperative on Hinduism, imagining it as one of a constellation of "world religions," a framing that bolstered the Enlightenment ideology of ethnocentric nationhood. HINDUTVA AS POLITICAL MONOTHEISM traces how the idea of a Hindu religion and a Hindu state persisted after formal colonialization ended-taken up by Indian philosophers and nationalists, and then circulated through Bollywood films and other cultural forms as part of a political project to imagine India as modern, secular, and Hindu. In the first section of the book, Basu traces the invention of Hinduism as a religion in the minds of European anthropologists starting in the 1920s. Basu demonstrates that the very idea of India as a Hindu nation was inspired by the fascist political theorist Carl Schmitt and his European interlocutors, who sought a monotheme of religiosity that harnessed pluralistic customs into one tradition, called Hinduism, in the model of an Abrahamic religion. Next, Basu turns to the founding of right-wing Hindu organizations and political parties in the 1920s, which suggested that all Indians shared a common spiritual and biological Aryan ancestry, in tension with the ongoing caste system and regional differences. The next sections considers the theology underpinning the idea of Hindu monotheism: the idea that the Brahman is a singular deity, that Krishna is a prophet akin to Christ, and that the Bhagwad Gita is the singular book of Hinduism. Finally, Basu turns to what others have called Hindutva 2.0-the contemporary manifestation of Hinduness that has ushered in a culture of technophilia, Islamophobia, and rigid gender norms. He shows how Indian modernity relies on advertising Hindutva as modern, secular, and entwined with the advance of capitalism-and that Narendra Modi's rise as a media phenomenon merges Hindu pride with the promise of smart cities, military power, and a digital economy"-- Provided by publisher In Hindutva as Political Monotheism, Anustup Basu offers a genealogical study of Hindutva—Hindu right-wing nationalism—to illustrate the significance of Western anthropology and political theory to the idea of India as a Hindu nation. Connecting Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt's notion of political theology to traditional theorems of Hindu sovereignty and nationhood, Basu demonstrates how Western and Indian theorists subsumed a vast array of polytheistic, pantheistic, and henotheistic cults featuring millions of gods into a singular edifice of faith. Basu exposes the purported “Hindu Nation” as itself an orientalist vision by analyzing three crucial moments: European anthropologists'and Indian intellectuals'invention of a unified Hinduism during the long nineteenth century; Indian ideologues'adoption of ethnoreligious nationalism in pursuit of a single Hindu way of life in the twentieth century; and the transformations of this project in the era of finance capital, Bollywood, and new media. Arguing that Hindutva aligns with Enlightenment notions of nationalism, Basu foregrounds its significance not just to Narendra Modi's right-wing, anti-Muslim government but also to mainstream Indian nationalism and its credo of secularism and tolerance. In Hindutva as Political Monotheism , Anustup Basu offers a genealogical study of HindutvaHindu right-wing nationalismto illustrate the significance of Western anthropology and political theory to the idea of India as a Hindu nation. Connecting Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt's notion of political theology to traditional theorems of Hindu sovereignty and nationhood, Basu demonstrates how Western and Indian theorists subsumed a vast array of polytheistic, pantheistic, and henotheistic cults featuring millions of gods into a singular edifice of faith. Basu exposes the purported Hindu Nation as itself an orientalist vision by analyzing three crucial European anthropologists and Indian intellectuals invention of a unified Hinduism during the long nineteenth century; Indian ideologues adoption of ethnoreligious nationalism in pursuit of a single Hindu way of life in the twentieth century; and the transformations of this project in the era of finance capital, Bollywood, and new media. Arguing that Hindutva aligns with Enlightenment notions of nationalism, Basu foregrounds its significance not just to Narendra Modi's right-wing, anti-Muslim government but also to mainstream Indian nationalism and its credo of secularism and tolerance. A crucial new guide to one of the most urgent political phenomena of our time: the rise of national populism. Across the West, there is a rising tide of people who feel excluded, alienated from mainstream politics, and increasingly hostile towards minorities, immigrants and neo-liberal economics. Many of these voters are turning to national populist movements, which have begun to change the face of Western liberal democracy, from the United States to France, Austria to the UK. This radical turn, we are told, is a last howl of rage from an aging electorate on the verge of extinction. Their leaders are fascistic and their politics anti-democratic; their existence a side-show to liberal democracy. But this version of events, as Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin show, could not be further from the truth. Written by two of the foremost experts on fascism and the rise of national populism, this lucid and deeply-researched book is a vital guide to our transformed political landscape. Challenging conventional wisdoms, Eatwell and Goodwin make a compelling case for serious, respectful engagement with the supporters and ideas of national populism - not least because it is a tide that won't be stemmed anytime soon Across Much Of The West, Especially In Europe And The Us, National Populism Is Now A Serious Force. Our Argument In This Book Is That To Really Make Sense Of This Movement We Need To Take A Step Back And Look At The Deep, Long-term Trends That Have Been Reshaping Our Societies Over Decades, If Not Longer.--preface, P. Viii. Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Myths -- 2. Promises -- 3. Distrust -- 4. Destruction -- 5. Deprivation -- 6. De-alignment -- Conclusion: Towards Post-populism. Roger Eatwell And Matthew Goodwin A Pelican Book. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.