Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of the Punjab (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia, Volume 8)

This timely and significant study explores the reasons behind the rise in Sikh militancy over the 1970s and 1980s. It also evaluates the violent response of the Indian State in fuelling and suppressing the Sikh separatist movement, resulting in a tragic sequence of events which has included the raiding of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The book reveals the role in this movement of a section of young semi-literate Sikh peasantry who were disaffected by the Green Revolution and the commercialisation of agriculture in Punjab. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Deol examines the role of popular mass media in the revitalisation of religion during this period, and the subsequent emergence of sharper religious boundaries. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Dedication......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Illustrations......Page 6 Preface and acknowledgements......Page 7 Introduction......Page 8 Aims and methods......Page 11 Concepts and definitions......Page 15 What is unique about modern nationality?......Page 16 Modernization theories of nationalism......Page 19 Critique of modernization theories......Page 22 Pax Britannica 1857–1947: the proliferation of socio-religious reform movements......Page 26 The anti-colonial nationalist movement and the struggle for India’s independence......Page 30 Conclusion......Page 35 2 The contradictory unity of the Indian state......Page 37 Who are the religious minorities in India?......Page 38 Religion and culture in India......Page 39 The concept of time......Page 41 Karma......Page 43 Belief in rebirth or reincarnation......Page 44 The concept of truth......Page 45 The anti-colonial nationalist movement and the struggle for India’s independence......Page 46 The question of Hindu tolerance?......Page 47 The nature of political representation......Page 49 The resurgence of religious nationalism in contemporary India......Page 51 Religious functionaries ionaries in politics......Page 54 Forms of ritual communication......Page 55 The organizational decline of the Congress party......Page 56 The state as an arbitrator of ethnic conflict: the strength of the state to respond impartially......Page 57 A new challenge to secular nationalism?......Page 58 Religious nationalism as a strategy for change or a form of protest?......Page 60 Conclusion......Page 62 The period of the Sikh gurus (1469–1708)......Page 63 The political triumph of the Sikh movement: the post-guru period until the British annexation of Punjab (1708–1849)......Page 70 Socio-religious reform movements and the growth of communal consciousness in British Punjab: the colonial period (1849–1947)......Page 72 The missionaries, the print media and the creation of new spheres......Page 73 The Arya Samaj movement......Page 75 The Singh Sabha movement (1870–1919)......Page 78 The ideological issues......Page 80 The struggle over reconstitution of sacred space......Page 83 Changes in the larger political arena......Page 85 New leaders and new arenas: recasting social identities......Page 91 Print communication and the creation of a new public sphere......Page 92 The development of standardized vernacular languages of state......Page 93 Conclusion......Page 97 The demand for a ‘Punjabi suba’, or a Punjabi-speaking state, in independent India (1950–66)......Page 99 The Anandpur Sahib resolution......Page 108 Operation Bluestar and Operation Woodrose......Page 114 State violence and the rise and fall of armed resistance......Page 119 Sikhs in England......Page 123 Sikh emigration to Canada and the United States......Page 125 The Ghadr uprising......Page 126 From Ghadr to Khalistan......Page 128 Conclusion......Page 130 5 The agrarian crisis and the rise of armed resistance......Page 132 What is green revolution?......Page 133 Is the green revolution a ‘scale neutral’ or ‘resource neutral’ technology?......Page 134 The green revolution in Punjab......Page 135 PATTERN OF LAND HOLDINGS......Page 138 FARM SIZE AND PROFITABILITY......Page 140 Agrarian change and local labour......Page 142 How far has the green revolution as part of the foregoing process contributed to rural proletarianization?......Page 144 OCCUPATIONAL SHIFTS......Page 145 MACRODETERMINANTS OF OUT-MIGRATION FROM THE STATE......Page 146 Profile of the Sikh activists—children of the green revolution?......Page 147 Peasant insurrection and the rise of armed resistance......Page 148 The pattern of modernization......Page 149 Agricultural innovation and external dependence......Page 151 6 Transformation in social communication and religious controversy......Page 156 Mass literacy......Page 157 History of the press in Punjab......Page 158 Circulation figures......Page 159 The Hind Samachar group......Page 160 The Ajit group......Page 161 The Tribune group......Page 162 Readership profile of newspapers published in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh......Page 164 The Tribune......Page 168 Ajit......Page 170 The Tribune......Page 172 Ajit......Page 173 Response to Lala Jagat Narain’s assassination......Page 174 The rise of Bhi ndranwale as a cult figure......Page 175 Conclusion......Page 178 Conclusion......Page 180 Notes......Page 184 Bibliography......Page 198 Index......Page 206 "Religion and Nationalism in India examines the growth of a nationalist sentiment among the Sikh community in the Punjab. This study explores the reasons behind the rise in Sikh militancy over the 1970s and 1980s. It also evaluates the violent response of the Indian state in fuelling and suppressing the Sihk separatist movement, resulting in a tragic sequence of events which has included the raiding of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The book reveals the role in this movement of a section of young, semiliterate Sikh peasantry who were disaffected by the Green Revolution and the commercialization of agriculture in Punjab. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Deol examines the role of popular mass media in the revitalization of religion during this period, and the subsequent emergence of sharper religious boundaries." "Deol controversially challenges the relevance of classical, Eurocentric theories of nationalism in analysing its powerful influence in South Asia. Her unique combination of Indian politics and history with a theoretical approach makes this fluent and incisive book essential reading for students and scholars interested in ethno-nationalism in the modern world."--Jacket Book Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Illustrations; Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 The trouble with classic theories of nationalism; 2 The contradictory unity of the Indian state; 3 The historical roots of Sikh communal consciousness (1469-1947); 4 The rise of Sikh national consciousness (1947-95); 5 The agrarian crisis and the rise of armed resistance; 6 Transformation in social communication and religious controversy; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index. This book examines the growth of a nationalist sentiment among the Sikh community in the Punjab. Drawing on a wide range of resources, Deol explores the reasons behind the rise in Sikh militancy over the 1970s and 1980s.