{"product_id":"the-saffron-wave-democracy-and-hindu-nationalism-in-modern-india","title":"The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe rise of strong nationalist and religious movements in postcolonial and newly democratic countries alarms many Western observers. In The Saffron Wave  Thomas Hansen turns our attention to recent events in the worlds largest democracy  India. Here he analyzes Indian receptivity to the right-wing Hindu nationalist party and its political wing  the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  which claims to create a polity based on \"ancient\" Hindu culture. Rather than interpreting Hindu nationalism as a mainly religious phenomenon  or a strictly political movement  Hansen places the BJP within the context of the larger transformations of democratic governance in India.  Hansen demonstrates that democratic transformation has enabled such developments as political mobilization among the lower castes and civil protections for religious minorities. Against this backdrop  the Hindu nationalist movement has successfully articulated the anxieties and desires of the large and amorphous Indian middle class. A form of conservative populism  the movement has attracted not only privileged groups fearing encroachment on their dominant positions but also \"plebeian\" and impoverished groups seeking recognition around a majoritarian rhetoric of cultural pride  order  and national strength. Combining political theory  ethnographic material  and sensitivity to colonial and postcolonial history  The Saffron Wave offers fresh insights into Indian politics and  by focusing on the links between democracy and ethnic majoritarianism  advances our understanding of democracy in the postcolonial world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44952011341877,"sku":"ByrdShop_0691006717","price":26.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780691006710.jpg?v=1770148322","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-saffron-wave-democracy-and-hindu-nationalism-in-modern-india","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}