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Kim, Heewon and Singh, Gurharpal (2016) 'The Challenges of Managing Religious Diversity in India: Between Hegemonic Domination and the Quest for Equality.' In: Dawson, Andrew, (ed.), The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity: National Contexts, Global Issues. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 49-66. (Routledge Advances in Sociology)

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Abstract

This chapter discusses four ways of understanding the political management of religious diversity in India. It assesses the efforts of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to implement new policies and practices to improve the social and economic conditions of religious minorities after 9/11 and the Gujarat pogroms of 2002. These efforts were directed at all religious minorities, but especially Muslims, who were identified as suffering a serious development deficit. The chapter describes the historical institutionalism and path dependence theory that holds particular policies and choices made at a critical juncture can have a persistent. The highly normative analyses by proponents of state secularism and anti-secularists have produced an equally profound counter-reaction. The paradox of managing religious diversity in India is that of a secular polity governed by a political party committed to establishing a Hindu state and the primacy of Hindu values. Finally, the chapter focuses on the constitutional framing of religious minorities and is institutionally path dependent.

Item Type: Book Chapters
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > School of History, Religions & Philosophies > Department of Religions & Philosophies
Legacy Departments > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Department of the Study of Religions
ISBN: 9781138791817
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315762555-4
Date Deposited: 31 May 2016 10:08
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/22508

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