Dr. Uday Mehta

From last three decades secularism has been one of the major points of debate in India. With the rise of politics in the name of religion, the concept of secularism has come under heavy criticism. To denigrate this concept words like pseudo secular and sickular have been coined. A shadow of this debate got reflected on the pages of Indian Journal of Secularism, some more material was especially solicited to complete the theme. The essays compiled in the volume take broad historical and contemporary issues to point out that democracy and secularism are not separable values; they are in-separable parts of the Indian Constitution and are the base of the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The essays aim to provide the summary of debate in Indian scenario and aim to generate the debate to preserve these values in Indian Context.

No. of Pages: 332

Price: Rs.1150/-

ISBN: 978-93-5128-230-3

Published by

Kalpaz Publications, C-30, Satyawati Nagar, Delhi – 110 052 ,
E-mail: kalpaz@hotmail.com
Ph. +91-9212142040

For copies contact

Gyan Books Pvt. Ltd, 5 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi – 110 002

Mob. +919811692060,
E-mail: book@gyanbooks.com

---

 

Contents

Acknowledgement
Editors
Foreword
Introduction

SECTION – A

Overview

1. Indian Society and the Secular

• Definitions ● Colonial Readings of Indian Religions ● Historical Perspectives of Religions in India ● Islam in India ●The History of India in the Last Thousand Years ● Caste and Conversion ● The World of Today .

2. Secularism in India: Past and Future

• Introduction ● Factors and Actors Affecting the Secularism ● Role of Media ● Role of Politics ● BJP in Southern India ● Conclusion ●The Future of Secularism.

3. Secularism: Concept and Indian Scenario

• Introduction ● Diverse ● Meanings ●The Beginnings ●Secularisation ●Secularism-Western or Modern ●Indian Context ●Secularism in India ●Freedom Movement and Secular Values ●Secularism: Freedom Movement ●Constituent Assembly: Indian Constitution ●Indian State ●Communalism ●Indian Political Scene ●Conclusion: Challenges to Secularism.

SECTION – B

Concept and Genesis

4. Secularism, Secularisation and Modernity: A Sociological Perspective of the Western Model.

• Reformation ●Martin Luther in Germany ●Printing Press – Far reaching Impact ●Engels on Medieval Church ●The Plebian Hersy ●Protestant Reformation in England ●Fresh Scenario ●The New Forces ●Bourgeois Declaration of 1789 ●“Sansculottes” ●Victory of Secular Forces ●Secularisation and the Masses ●Recent Studies on Popular Religious Revival ●Gender as a Category of Historical Analysis ●Religious Practice – Cultural and Political Clues ●Persistence of Supernatural Belief: Pilgrimage Shrines ●Feminisation of Religion ●Radical Sects in England ●Divisions among Non-conformists ●Methodism.

5. Secularism and Secularisation Nation Building in a Multi-Religious Society.

• Secularism and Secularisation ●Secular Ideologies ●Other Secularism ●Peoples Movement ●Conclusion: Commitment to Liberation.

6. On the Roots of Secularism.

SECTION – C

Globalisation and Challenges to Secularism

7. Religion and Globalisation

• Religion under Globalisation ● Globalisation – The Recent Phase ●Rise of Globalist Ideology ●Globalisation and the Rise of the Religious Fundamentalism Politicisation of Religion ●Islamic Fundamentalism ●Islam: Origin ●The Rise of Political Islam ●The Inability of Capitalism to Solve the Basic Problem ●The Failure of the Left ●New Evangelism ●Buddhist Fundamentalism ●Conclusion.

8. National Education versus Veil: Secularism and Islam in France.

• Islam and Secularism in France: An Historical Legacy ●The Two Steps of Secularisation ●Islam and France: Birth of a Religion ●The Muslim Community of France: Its Origins and Aspects ●Renewal of the Debate About Secularism: The Islamic Foulards Case ●The Case and the Institutions ●The Intervention of Intelligentsia ●Perspectives on Belief and the Future of Secularisation ●The Islamic Foulards Case: An Endless Story ●Prejudices and Secularist Injustice ●Multiplicity of the Sacred and Intolerance ●The Search for Universality and the Plurality of the Beliefs ●Conclusion.

SECTION – D

Nehru and Practice of Indian Secularism

9. Pandit Nehru on Communalism and Nationalism in India
10. Nehruvian Secularism and the Minority Problem

• Nehruvian Secularism and the Minority Problem ●Nehruvian Secularism Analysed.

11. Manava Dharma and Pt. Nehru’s Concept of Secularism

• Nehru’s Ideological Sources of Secularism ●Nehru’s Two Concepts of Secularism ●Nehru: Symbol of Secularism ●Two Models of Secularism ●Challenges to Secularism ●Nehru’s Measures to Secularise India ●Relevance of Nehru’s Concept of Secularism.

12. Secularising the Literary Space: Problems and Possibilities

• Secularism as Theory: Tyranny of Reason ●Religion and Secularism: The Great Indian Experiment ●The Sacred ●The Secular and The Text.

13. Secularism Betrayed

SECTION – E

Struggle for Secularism

14. The Struggle Against Communalism: Defining a Positive Alternative

• Introduction ●Religion ●Democracy ●Secularism ●Identity ●Communities ●Conclusion.

15. Towards Secular Society

• Secularism Under Attack-Hindutva: Characterisation ●Platform for Secular Democracy.

Index

Authors

• Professor Romila Thapar
• Dr.Asghar Ali Engineer
• Rudolf C. Heredia
• Michel Boivin
• Dr.Ashok S.Chouslakar
• Dr.Madhavi Yasin
• Justice H Suresh