Massacre of Bengalis in Assam, 1983. The "holocaust" of partition has developed 50 years later into a rampant communalism not only nationally but also internationally (p 20).
Vanaik's debate with the antisecularist post modernist school is compelling. This 'intellectual' curinfluenced the general debate on As he explains, "it claims to repmanifestations but not in the name While the details of the particuhas engaged in debates with post The passages covering movethe Dalit (untouchable) of the weaknesses as well as the grasp of their potential. ing of the urgency of the battle against communalism ends with a call for a new political project in India. This New Social Democracy, would have to break decisively from the rational of neo-liberalism and emphasise social welfare.
It would have an "unwavering commitment to maintain and deepen the secularity of the Indian state while also promoting the secularization of civil society" (p 352).
It would base itself on the rural proletariat, marginal farmers and the urban working class, both organised and unorganised, and on the lower and middle sections of the backward castes and core minorities. As he points out "oppressed classes and oppressed castes broadly correspond" (p 351).
Problematic
This for me is the most problematic part of the book. The arguments both for the necessity of the project and how and why it could succeed are somewhat superficially sketched.
I remain unconvinced that this path, rather than the building of an explicitly revolutionary force in India - and worldwide -is either necessary or possible.
Vanaik in putting forward this scenario seems to conflate the need to forge broad alliances against communalism with the creation of a political and electoral force under this banner.
Have a number of steps in the argument been spelt out elsewhere which are then taken for granted in this exposition? Maybe future writings will clarify.
Despite my lingering frustration with these conclusions, The Furies of Indian Communalism is a stimulating and valuable work which should be read both by those famil iar with Indian politics and society and those who are inquisitive to find out more.