On the explanatory adequacy of the Hindutva-as-Brahmanical model

Authors

  • Garima Raghuvanshy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1334

Keywords:

Caste, Hindutva, India, casteism, Brahmanism, politics, elections, Sangh Parivar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Abstract

One of the most significant and confounding anomalies facing experts and commentators is the Hindutva movement’s popularity amongst Dalit and OBC voters. If the Hindutva movement is Brahmanical, how can it be the choice of those it seeks to oppress? This article examines this conundrum. It addresses three central arguments in claims that the movement is Brahmanical, showing how these are based on arbitrary, incomplete data (such as the claim that the Sangh Parivar is against caste-based reservations), or hide conceptual contradictions (such as the argument that the Sangh’s opposition to proselytization is casteist). Furthermore, taken to their logical end, explanations for the movement’s success amongst Dalit and OBC groups raise fundamental questions for/contradictions to the received view on the caste system. This article concludes that describing the Hindutva movement as Brahmanical raises many questions for the received view on the caste system without furthering our understanding of the movement in any way.

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Author Biography

Garima Raghuvanshy

Garima Raghuvanshy is an independent academic, her work is focused on the Hindutva movement, Indian traditions, and intercommunity dynamics. She holds a Research Master in Religion and Culture from the University of Groningen and was awarded an Erasmus Mundus Svaagata Scholarship by the EU. Garima is involved in documentary filmmaking and writes on society, culture, and climate. Email address: garima.raghuvanshy@gmail.com.

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Published

09-12-2022 — Updated on 01-02-2023

How to Cite

Raghuvanshy, G. (2023) “On the explanatory adequacy of the Hindutva-as-Brahmanical model”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 13(1), pp. 127–155. doi: 10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1334.