Table of Contents

Note on Transliteration

Introduction
Chapter One: Everyday Histories
Chapter Two: National Insecurities
Chapter Three: Violent Dharma
Chapter Four: Benevolent Hindus
Chapter Five: Fun, Games, and Deadly Politics
Chapter Six: Acceptable Transgressions

Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments

Promotional Information

This ethnography analyzes the popularity of Hindu nationalism in contemporary India through examining the everyday acts of women activists, finding that women's ability to recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds and the movement's willingness to accommodate a multiplicity of positions are central to understanding its expansionary power.

About the Author

Kalyani Devaki Menon is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at DePaul University.

Reviews

"Menon argues that central to the popularity and success of Hindu nationalism is its willingness to accommodate groups whose beliefs and practices may be incongruous with the movement's mainstream. . . . An excellent study of a timely issue."—Choice

"Everyday Nationalism is an important book for understanding the dynamics and rationale of hindutva ideology. Kalyani Menon's brilliant reconstruction reveals women as the key to the Hindu nationalist goal to establish India as a Hindu nation."—Missiology: An International Review

"Menon provides a vivid portrait of the everyday lives of Hindu nationalist women. A witty, candid, unassuming ethnographer, she combines critical self-reflection with critical insights into the women she studies. Everyday Nationalism is an important contribution to scholarship in women's studies, South Asian studies, and anthropology."—Amrita Basu, Amherst College