Communalism A Primer

Communalism is today identified as one of the biggest threats facing society. The primer argues that while communalism is very often equated with religious fundamentalism, it actually represents an ideology. To counter it successfully, communal thinking has to be uprooted from people's minds. The struggle against communalism has to recognise the century-old heritage of inculcation and spread of communal ideology among the masses. The author argues that once the ideological character of communalism is recognised, combating it would require a dual-pronged strategy both at the political as well the ideational level. The primer offers a comprehensive study of key concepts such as the distinction between communalism and secularism; major themes in the communal ideological offensive and an inventory of practical dos and don'ts. A valuable contribution to the debate.

About the Author

Bipan Chandra was born in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. He was educated at Forman Christian College, Lahore, and at Stanford University. He was Professor of Modern History at Jawaharlal University GNU), New Delhi, where he is currently Professor Emeritus. A National Research Professor, he is presently Chairman, National Book Trust, India. Prof. Chandra is the author of several books on nationalism, colonialism, and communalism in modern India including The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism, Ideology and politics in Modern India, Communalism in Modern India, Bssays on Contemporary India, Essays on Indian Nationalism and In the Name of Democracy: JP Movement and the Emergent)'.