Gujarat, Cradle and Harbinger of Identity Politics - by Jan Breman & Ghanshyam Shah (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book is a collection of essays written over the last five decades to document events related to the communal politics that have flourished in Gujarat. It features chapters on the historical aspects of communalism and the growth of the BJP in Gujarat, particularly focusing on its electoral politics.

Book Synopsis

Gujarat is one of the leading industrially developed states of the Indian Union. Also known as a laboratory of Hindutva in contemporary Indian politics, it has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for over twenty-five years. This book is a collection of essays written by the authors over the last five decades to document events related to the communal politics that have flourished in the region. There are also new chapters on the historical aspects of communalism and the growth of the BJP in Gujarat, particularly focusing on its electoral politics. The book is divided into five sections: Communal Consciousness Taking Shape in Gujarat, Eruptions of Riots: Their Antecedents and Aftermath, Communalism: Inclusion Versus Exclusion, The Post-colonial Canvas of Gujarat Politics and Governance, and The Shifting Grounds of Majoritarian Rule.

About the Author

Jan Breman is Professor Emeritus at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam and Honorary Fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.

Ghanshyam Shah is retired professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and former Director, Centre for Social Studies, Surat.