Abstract

In the past decade, Hindu nationalism has been on the resurgence, as exemplified in the rise of anti-Muslim violence and the enactment of exclusivist legislations. Hindu nationalism promotes the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra (state). Central to Hindu nationalism is the idea of Hindutva, which states that all Indians belong to a Hindu civilisation based on a common pan-Hindu national identity.

This webinar will examine the following questions: What is the role of religion in fostering the spread of Hindu nationalism? Does the rise of Hindu Nationalism mean the revivalism and rise of religion? What are the links, if any, between religion and Hindu Nationalism? What are the central tenets and texts in Hindu nationalism? What religious ideas have legitimised and justified exclusivism and violence against religious and caste minorities? What are the dissonances between Hindu Nationalism and secularism and between Hindu nationalism and multiculturalism? What are the elements, if any, within the body of Hindu Nationalism beliefs that enable it to be a global ideology and movement?

About the Speaker

Julius Lipner is Emeritus Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge. His expertise is in the study of Vedantic thought, 19th century Bengal, and intercultural and inter-religious understanding. Professor Lipner has lectured widely in and outside the UK, and has been appointed Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor in a number of universities across the world. He is Emeritus Fellow and former Vice-President of Clare Hall – a postgraduate college in the University of Cambridge – and in 2008 he became a Fellow of the British Academy. Professor Lipner is also Advisor to SRP, and Visiting Professor at RSIS, NTU, Singapore.