The Political Economy of Neoliberal Hindu Nationalism in India

Alf Gunvald Nilsen

A discussion with Alf Gunvald Nilsen, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Pretoria and Director, the Centre for Asian Studies in Africa, University of Pretoria on ‘The Political Economy of Neoliberal Hindu Nationalism in India’ was held at the Social Scientists’ Association on 22 May 2023. An expert researching, teaching, and writing about the political economy of democracy and development in the global South, Social movements and popular protest in the world-system, India and the BRICS countries, Insurgent social theory, Dr. Gunvald in his discussion tried to unpack the relationship between economic inequality and political power in Modi’s India. He argued that the current conjuncture in India constitutes the convergence of two processes that have worked coevally to reshape both India’s economy and its political order since the early 1990s: on the one hand, the progress of neoliberalization, and on the other hand, the rise of Hindu nationalism. He explained how, in this coming together, the politics of Hindu nationalism deflects popular discontent and nurtures both the hegemony of the ruling party and the wealth of the country’s business moguls.