Hindu Nationalism, History and Identity in India

In 2002, a reorganization of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule occurred, and four new history textbooks were published. This study examines these textbooks as integral to BJP's identity political agenda. It analyses the ways in which they defined and invoked Hindu identity.

Lars Tore Flåten is an Associate Professor in South Asia Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages in Oslo, Norway. His publications include Hindu Nationalist Conceptions of History, in South Asia: Journal of South Asia Studies, 2012.

1. Introduction 2. Analysing Textbook Narratives: Theoretical and Methodological Aspects 3. Ancient India: Civilization as the Primary Agent 4. A Unitary Society 5. From Glory to Decline: The Advent of Islam on the Subcontinent 6. Mughal Ambivalence 7. The Freedom Struggle: Heroes and Foes 8. History: Polemics and Politics 9. Closing Remarks: History and Nationhood