Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

We attempt to study the construction of an extreme ideology in the form of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) and the Indian secular response to it. First, we seek to understand the leading theory on universal extremist identity construction. Second, we consider how the construction of Hindutva ideology based on a religious identity takes shape as an empirical case study in relation to the universal theory. This will allow us a deeper understanding of the nuanced motivations of Hindu nationalism as a movement, as well as the potency of its politics. Then, we move onto explore the secular opposition, specifically in the domain of social media, and its efficacy. We delineate two main themes to their opposition-the public elucidation of Hindutva’s right-wing extremism, as well as a secular engagement in historical gatekeeping and propagandizing. We then analyze the benefits and constraints of this opposition, largely in concert with the scholarly work of J. M. Berger and H. J. Ingram on the nexus of extremism and propaganda and leading methods of countering both. Our paper elucidates how social media technologies are used by forces opposed to rightwing extremism, and their impact in the largest democracy in the world. The implications of this research will have resonance for other democracies and polities in the world as well as for studies on social media.