Religion and Nationalism in India

This timely and significant study explores the reasons behind the rise in Sikh militancy over the 1970s and 1980s. It also evaluates the violent response of the Indian State in fuelling and suppressing the Sikh separatist movement, resulting in a tragic sequence of events which has included the raiding of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The book reveals the role in this movement of a section of young semi-literate Sikh peasantry who were disaffected by the Green Revolution and the commercialisation of agriculture in Punjab. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Deol examines the role of popular mass media in the revitalisation of religion during this period, and the subsequent emergence of sharper religious boundaries.

Harnik Deol

Introduction; Chapter 1 The Trouble with Classic Theories of Nationalism; Chapter 2 The Contradictory Unity of the Indian State; Chapter 3 The Historical Roots of Sikh Communal Consciousness (1469-1947); Chapter 4 The Rise of Sikh National Consciousness (1947-95); Chapter 5 The Agrarian Crisis and the Rise of Armed Resistance; Chapter 6 Transformation in Social Communication and Religious Controversy; con Conclusion;