Includes bibliographical references and index.

"This volume examines the phenomenon of contemporary Hindu nationalism or "new Hindutva" that is presently the dominant ideological and political-electoral formation in India. There is a rich body of work on Hindu nationalism, but its main focus is on an earlier moment of insurgent movement politics in the 1980s and 1990s. In contrast to this earlier era of "Mandir politics," new Hindutva is a governance and governmental formation with considerable institutional heft that converges with wider global currents and enjoys mainstream acceptance. Contemporary Hindu nationalist politics is also significantly different, both in form and substance, from earlier versions. To understand these political forms and their implications for democratic futures, a fresh set of reflections is in order. This book approaches the phenomenon of contemporary Hindutva as an example of a democratic authoritarianism or an authoritarian populism, a politics that simultaneously advances and violates ideas and practices of popular and constitutional democracy. The volume is a collective effort in anticipatory writing that engages a particularly fraught present in order to understand its implications for democratic futures. Can we avoid the pitfalls of presentism when studying current and recent events? Equally, can we reflect on the futures that will follow these troubled times without falling into the trap of predictive analysis? The authors offer different answers to these questions about what it means, both analytically and politically, to study new Hindutva at this particular moment in time"-- Provided by publisher.