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Reimagining Indian Secularism

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Reimagining Indian Secularism by Rajeev Bhargava explores the distinctive nature of secularism in India. Unlike Western secularism, it does not seek to separate state from religion in a homogenised society but aims to combat institutionalised religious domination within and between religions. Bhargava discusses how the principle of โ€˜principled distanceโ€™ has been misunderstood, abused, and distorted in Indian society, and proposes ways to rehabilitate secularism amid its ongoing challenges.
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Format: Hardback
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This book is suited for readers interested in politics, current affairs, and religious studies, particularly those seeking a nuanced understanding of secularism in the Indian context.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An original analysis of religion versus the religionization of society in India.

What is unique about Indian secularism? In this book, Rajeev Bhargava argues that secularism in India, as opposed to in the West, did not arise in a society that had already been religiously homogenised, where the need of the hour was to break the political nexus between church and state. In India, secularism does not demand that the state is against or indifferent to religion, but rather that it combat institutionalised religious domination, both between and within religions. Apathy or antipathy to religion, Bhargava points out, would foment inter-religious rivalries that intensify anti-reformist tendencies, fuelling further division.

As secularism receives daily ridicule in India, Bhargava provides an account of how this โ€œprincipled distanceโ€ from religion has been a victim of misunderstandings by its proponents, abuse by its practitioners, and deliberate distortion by its opponents. Reimagining Indian Secularism offers a proposal of how we might one day be able to rehabilitate secularism.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803092898

Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 December 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 4.0mm

Height: 7.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 76

About the Author

Rajeev Bhargava is professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, and the director of the Centreโ€™s Institute of Indian Thought.

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