Seventh International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

There has been a growing scholarship on the emergence of right-wing nationalism, populism, as well as social media in the global arena. The same is true, on a lesser scale, with regards to the phenomenon of post-truth, although this is largely restricted to the Western world. The present paper explores the dynamics of Hindu nationalism and post-truth in India, a novel area of research, but from the other end. It will, by relying on qualitative data from Twitter, examine the strategy adopted by liberal critics on social media to counter Hindu nationalism’s post-truth. It specifically looks at two themes: fact-checking of propaganda and fake news, and the counterposing of liberal values to Hindu nationalism. After a consideration of the prospects and the need for such an approach, the paper outlines why the liberal approach is unlikely to stop the juggernaut of Hindu nationalist populism. The paper seeks to make an original contribution to the scholarship on rightwing populism and post-truth and the liberal response to it.