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1 Ordinary conspiracy theories and everyday communalism

Hindutva on the Indian cyberspace

Abstract

In recent years, the dramatic rise of right-wing populism in different parts of the world has coincided with an unprecedented circulation of fake news and conspiracy theories, especially on new media platforms. In the lead-up to the 2019 general election in India, the Indian cyberspace was dominated by aggressive Hindu nationalists (‘Internet Hindus’) who employed similar tactics of information manipulation. This chapter discusses Internet Hindus to analyse both the peculiar affordances of social media and the communalisation of everyday life that have combined to buttress the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India.

Abstract

In recent years, the dramatic rise of right-wing populism in different parts of the world has coincided with an unprecedented circulation of fake news and conspiracy theories, especially on new media platforms. In the lead-up to the 2019 general election in India, the Indian cyberspace was dominated by aggressive Hindu nationalists (‘Internet Hindus’) who employed similar tactics of information manipulation. This chapter discusses Internet Hindus to analyse both the peculiar affordances of social media and the communalisation of everyday life that have combined to buttress the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of figures and tables vii
  4. List of contributors viii
  5. Acknowledgements xiii
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I: Fear, love and fake news
  8. 1 Ordinary conspiracy theories and everyday communalism 25
  9. 2 People-led campaigns in the 2019 general election 34
  10. Part II: The emotive politics of Hindu nationalism
  11. 3 Neoliberalism and cultural majoritarianism in India 45
  12. 4 The BJP and the war on history 53
  13. 5 The passionate politics of the Savarna poor 63
  14. 6 Seeking humanist Hinduism 74
  15. Part III: Love, hate and Kashmir
  16. 7 The historical roots of conflict over/in Kashmir 87
  17. 8 This side of paradise 97
  18. 9 The fear of Indian settler colonialism and the battle for Kashmir’s soul 106
  19. Part IV: Women, gender and love
  20. 10 Love taboos 119
  21. 11 Why is romance political? 128
  22. Part V: What young Indians want
  23. 12 In pursuit of Parivartan 137
  24. 13 What do young people want from elections? 148
  25. Part VI: The economics of India’s passionate politics
  26. 14 Social oppression and exploitation of Adivasis and Dalits in contemporary India 157
  27. 15 Two large shocks and a long-term problem 169
  28. 16 Agrarian crisis, farmers’ protests and women’s assertion 177
  29. Part VII: India tomorrow
  30. 17 The Modi government’s authoritarian project in India 189
  31. 18 The 2019 elections and their implications for Muslim politics 199
  32. 19 Cementing emotions 208
  33. Index 217
Passionate politics
This chapter is in the book Passionate politics
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526157751.00008

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of figures and tables vii
  4. List of contributors viii
  5. Acknowledgements xiii
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I: Fear, love and fake news
  8. 1 Ordinary conspiracy theories and everyday communalism 25
  9. 2 People-led campaigns in the 2019 general election 34
  10. Part II: The emotive politics of Hindu nationalism
  11. 3 Neoliberalism and cultural majoritarianism in India 45
  12. 4 The BJP and the war on history 53
  13. 5 The passionate politics of the Savarna poor 63
  14. 6 Seeking humanist Hinduism 74
  15. Part III: Love, hate and Kashmir
  16. 7 The historical roots of conflict over/in Kashmir 87
  17. 8 This side of paradise 97
  18. 9 The fear of Indian settler colonialism and the battle for Kashmir’s soul 106
  19. Part IV: Women, gender and love
  20. 10 Love taboos 119
  21. 11 Why is romance political? 128
  22. Part V: What young Indians want
  23. 12 In pursuit of Parivartan 137
  24. 13 What do young people want from elections? 148
  25. Part VI: The economics of India’s passionate politics
  26. 14 Social oppression and exploitation of Adivasis and Dalits in contemporary India 157
  27. 15 Two large shocks and a long-term problem 169
  28. 16 Agrarian crisis, farmers’ protests and women’s assertion 177
  29. Part VII: India tomorrow
  30. 17 The Modi government’s authoritarian project in India 189
  31. 18 The 2019 elections and their implications for Muslim politics 199
  32. 19 Cementing emotions 208
  33. Index 217
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