Soul and Sword: The History of Political Hinduism

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Political Hinduism was once considered a sort of fringe ideology, shadowy and even misunderstood. Its ideas and narratives seemed, in popular discourse, to lack analytical rigour and were easily dismissed.
But history shows that political Hinduism as an intellectual idea was a pioneering theme in India’s nationhood. In fact, it precedes the Indian republic and has been one of the most resilient political theories of India, which survived many bans, boycotts and decades out of power to become, in the twenty-first century, the predominant political force of India. The adherents of political Hinduism are as determined as its detractors―one complains about facing relentless prejudice; the other throws accusations of promoting continuous religious strife. One believes that India cannot be saved without decimating political Hinduism; the other is sanguine that only political Hinduism can save the future of India.
Soul and Sword traces the journey of political Hinduism from events that are critical to its self-narration, that is, early Indian resistance to invasions, to intellectual definitions by nineteenth-century littérateurs and more contemporary electoral politics. It tries to understand the context and historical sources used to construct and promote political Hinduism’s world view.
From award-winning writer Hindol Sengupta, Soul and Sword is absolutely critical reading to understand India’s present and future.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books (30 October 2023); Penguin Random House India
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670093785
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670093786
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 449 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14 x 2 x 22 cm
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1 Piece
Importer ‏ : ‎ Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
Packer ‏ : ‎ Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
Generic Name ‏ : ‎ Book
Best Sellers Rank: #51,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #411 in History of Religion (Books) #1,108 in Politics #2,014 in Hinduism (Books)
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