Memories in the Service of the Hindu Nation

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'This book's vital focus on the narrated experiences of dislocation and everyday violence stemming from the political policy of Partition is relevant to current global experiences of forcible displacement within and across national borders. Kohli's thoughtful analysis of the redeployment of memory to serve present notions of national belonging and exclusion is an especially germane contribution to understanding the increasing number of multicultural democracies experiencing a rise in xenophobic claims of rightful - more rigidly inscribed - publics within nations as a justification for restricting targeted groups' rights, safety, and sense of belonging. The author considers the mysterious question of how "mob" violence can be attributed to outsiders by everyone involved without participants' recollection or recognition of their own individual acts of violence, or accountability for them.' Ann E. Kingsolver, University of Kentucky 'This remarkable and elegantly written book is the first systematic effort to link the Partition of India in 1947 and today's homegrown Hindu fascism, by using a novel conceptual lens linking memory, sacrifice and theodicy. It will be of interest to all anthropologists of religion, nationalism and memory, as well as to specialists working on modern Indian cultural politics.' Arjun Appadurai, New York University 'This wonderful book demonstrates with utmost clarity how the suffering of the Partition of the South Asian subcontinent is used to legitimate anti-Muslim violence in contemporary India. Kohli gives us the tales of the victims but goes beyond their narratives to the politics of resentment and retribution that fuels Hindu nationalism today. His book provides a much needed and compelling perspective on the use of the Partition as a political weapon in the present.' Peter van der Veer, author of Religious Nationalism. Hindus and Muslims in India