Untitled Document
ABOUT THE BOOK
From Last three Decades secularism has been one of the major points of debate in India. With the rise of politics in the name of religion, the concept of secularism has come under heavy criticism. To denigrate this concept words like pseudo secular and sickular have been coined. A shadow of this debate got reflected on the pages of Indian Journal of secularism, some more material was especially solicited to complete the theme. The essays compiled in the volume take broad historical and contemporary issues to point out that democracy and secularism are not separable values; they are in-separable parts of the Indian Constitution and are the base of the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The essays aim to provide the summary of debate in Indian scenario and aim to generate the debate to preserve these values in Indian Context.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Uday Mehta is sociologist with broad interdisciplinary background. He received his SSA
and Ph. D. from TISS and Mumbai University respectively. He has contributed to the field of sociology
through many of his books, such as Agrarian Strategies in India, State Secularism and Religion: Western
and Indian Experience (co-editor: Asghar Ali Engineer), and Modern God Men in India. His one of the most recent publication is Sectarianism Politics and Development.
Ram Puniyani Former Professor IIT Mumbai. Is associated with various secular initiatives and has been part of various investigation reports on violation of human rights of minorities.
Has been part of people's tribunals which investigated the violation of rights of minorities in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Has written Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths, Deconstructing Terrorist Violence, Edited: Religion, Power and Violence, Mumbai: Post 27/11. Recipient of Indira Gandhi National Integration Award, National Communal harmony Award, Mukundan C. Menon Award 2015).
CONTENTS
Acknowledgement 11
Editors 13
Foreword 17
Introduction 23
SECTION - A
Overview
1. Indian Society and the Secular 39
• Definitions • Colonial Readings of Indian Religions • Historical
Perspectives of Religions in India • Islam in India • The History of
India in the Last Thousand Years • Caste and Conversion • The World
of Today.
2. Secularism in India: Past and Future 65
• Introduction • Factors and Actors Affecting the Secularism • Role of
Media • Role of Politics • BJP in Southern India • Conclusion • The
Future of Secularism.
3. Secularism: Concept and Indian Scenario 81
• Introduction • Diverse Meanings • The Beginnings • Secularisation
• Secularism-Western or Modern • Indian Context • Secularism in India
• Freedom Movement and Secular Values • Secularism: Freedom
Movement • Constituent Assembly: Indian Constitution • Indian State
• Communalism • Indian Political Scene • Conclusion: Challenges to
Secularism.
SECTION - B
Concept and Genesis
4. Secularism, Secularisation and Modernity:
A Sociological Perspective of the Western Model 101
• Reformation • Martin Luther in Germany • Printing Press – Farreaching
Impact • Engels on Medieval Church • The Plebian Heresy
• Protestant Reformation in England • French Scenario • The New
Forces • Bourgeois Declaration of 1789 • “Sansculottes” • Victory of
Secular Forces • Secularisation and the Masses • Recent Studies on
Popular Religious Revival • Gender as a Category of Historical Analysis
• Religious Practices - Cultural and Political Clues • Persistence of
Supernatural Belief: Pilgrimage Shrines • Feminisation of Religion
• Radical Sects in England • Divisions among Non-conformists
• Methodism.
5. Secularism and Secularisation Nation Building in a Multi-religious Society 145
• Secularism and Secularisation • Secular Ideologies • Other Secularism
• Peoples’ Movement • Conclusion: Commitment to Liberation.
6. On the Roots of Secularism 169
SECTION - C
Globalisation and Challenges to Secularism
7. Religion and Globalisation 179
• Religion under Globalisation • Globalisation – The Recent Phase
• Rise of Globalist Ideology • Globalisation and the Rise of the Religious
Fundamentalism Politicisation of Religion • Islamic Fundamentalism
• Islam: Origin • The Rise of Political Islam • The Inability of Capitalism
to Solve the Basic Problem • The Failure of the Left • New Evangelism
• Buddhist Fundamentalism • Conclusion.
8. National Education versus Veil: Secularism and Islam in France 195
• Islam and Secularism in France: An Historical Legacy • The Two Steps
of Secularisation • Islam and France : Birth of a Religion • The Muslim
Community of France: Its Origins and Aspects • Renewal of the Debate
About Secularism: The Islamic Foulards Case • The Case and the
Institutions • The Intervention of Intelligentsia • Perspectives on Belief
and the Future of Secularisation • The Islamic Foulards Case: An Endless
Story • Prejudices and Secularist Injustice • Multiplicity of the Sacred
and Intolerance • The Search for Universality and the Plurality of the
Beliefs • Conclusion.
SECTION - D
Nehru and Practice of Indian Secularism
9. Pandit Nehru on Communalism and Nationalism in India 209
10. Nehruvian Secularism and the Minority Problem 221
• Nehruvian Secularism and the Minority Problem • Nehruvian
Secularism Analysed.
11. Manava Dharma and Pt. Nehru’s Concept of Secularism 233
• Nehru’s Ideological Sources of Secularism • Nehru’s Two Concepts
of Secularism • Nehru: Symbol of Secularism • Two Models of
Secularism • Challenges to Secularism • Nehru’s Measures to Secularise
India • Relevance of Nehru’s Concept of Secularism.
12. Secularising the Literary Space: Problems and Possibilities 243
• Secularism as Theory: Tyranny of Reason • Religion and Secularism:
The Great Indian Experiment • The Sacred, The Secular and The Text.
13. Secularism Betrayed 259
SECTION - E
Struggle for Secularism
14. The Struggle Against Communalism: Defining a Positive Alternative 277
• Introduction • Religion • Democracy • Secularism • Identity
• Communities • Conclusion.
15. Towards Secular Society 297
• Platform for Secular Democracy.
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