The covid-19 pandemic brought to the fore many contradictions and crises of the Indian nation-state. On the one hand, this was a global challenge, which required an internationally coordinated response transcending geographical boundaries, on the other, it also highlighted the centrality of the nation-state and the Indian ‘nation’ within the state. Nationalistic imaginations were called to the fore to mobilise civil society, public service professionals, and ordinary citizens to assist strangers and ‘imagined others’ in multiple ways. The nature of politics and state-craft changed to cater to the challenges of the pandemic. Rapid technology-based response, surveillance and centralisation of decision-making were the calls of the hour which may have given unprecedented powers to the state over the nation and taken deep roots within the state system. The pandemic has also solidified longer transformations already underway in the relationship between the Indian state, society and the nation long before the pandemic began. The protests against the citizen amendment act and the farm bills highlighted that the clash between a monochromatic and pluralistic imagining of Indian nationhood is the defining political contestation of our times. Are Indians defined by a set of common, uniformly shared identity points, or does the nation exist as a set of interrelated, overarching conceptual frames in which many different ideas of community, territory and political leadership co-exist?
Unpacking these confusing times required varied disciplinary approaches of historians, political scientists, sociologists and international relations specialists and a discussion format with the depth of academic research and accessibility of popular media.
A Reading Group with participants across academic disciplines was most well-suited. I convened this group in partnership with the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN), LSE, London. Members include early career and advanced academic scholars based in universities around the world. At our monthly meeting, we discuss one theme on Indian nationalism which relates to our ongoing research and a contemporary development such as authoritarianism, populism, and electoral democracy. Our discussions have focused on:
- State of nationalism: What is it and where is it at?
- Nationalism and populism
- Nationalism and national integration
- Nationalism and electoral democracy
We engaged with a wide cross-section of research material, including classic and new academic writings, research reports, news commentaries and social media debates. We published a six-part media series on the theme of “Nationalism and belonging” with Scroll to present our reflections on contemporary trends around Indian nationalism based on our research and discussions. We hope to reach a wider audience with our insights and work through podcasts, journal special issues and media writings.
You can find the suggested reading list here.
If you would like to know more about the group or engage with us, please email at nationalismresearch@gmail.com.
