Hindu Civilizationism: Make India Great Again

Hindu civilizationism is more than a century old phenomenon that has been steadily gaining strength. Its recent amalgam with populism has made it ascendant, popular, and mainstream in India. This paper explores how Hindu civilizationism is not only an essential part of the Hindutva and BJP's narrative but also the mainstay of several government policies. The other of the BJP's populist civilizationist rhetoric are primarily Muslims and Muslim civilization in India and the aim is to make India vishwaguru (world leader) again after 1200 years of colonialism. The evidence of this heady mixture of civilizationism and populism is numerous and ubiquitous. This paper analyzes topics such as Akhand Bharat, the golden age, denigrating Mughals, Hindutva pseudoscience, and Sanskrit promotion to highlight the evidence.

Automated summary

Hindu civilizationism, which has been gaining strength for over a century, has recently merged with populism and become popular and mainstream in India. This paper examines how Hindu civilizationism is not only central to the narratives of Hindutva and the BJP, but also influential in government policies. The primary target of the BJP's populist civilizationist rhetoric is the Muslim community and Muslim civilization in India, with the aim of restoring India as a world leader after 1200 years of colonization. This paper analyzes various topics, including Akhand Bharat, the golden age, denigration of the Mughal dynasty, Hindutva pseudoscience, and the promotion of Sanskrit, in order to provide evidence of this blend of civilizationism and populism.