Deepa Reddy | University of Houston Clear Lake (original) (raw)
Papers by Deepa Reddy
Contemporary South Asia , 2018
What are the new characteristics of Hindu nationalism—now in a phase when Hindutva logics are per... more What are the new characteristics of Hindu nationalism—now in a phase
when Hindutva logics are percolating into various local practices, in
India and in diaspora, and now that the BJP has assumed electoral
office? This short ‘Post Script’ essay uses the cases represented in this
special issue on ‘neo-Hindutva’ to think through overarching themes
that distinguish present expressions of political Hinduism. I argue that
while the vernacularization of Hindutva continues to generate new
expressions that variously modulate or adapt classic Sangh Parivar
positions in specific local contexts, the wide dispersion of Hindutva
logics and the wider tendency to use political frameworks for almost all
social affairs is generating other responses. Most notably, Hindutva
vernacularization increasingly involves seeking out apolitical forms of
politics itself: transcendent logics and neutralizing frameworks that
position Hindutva as outside of the usual political corruptions of the
modern Indian State. While such forms have a long history in the
subcontinent, I argue for greater attentiveness to apolitical aspirations as these coalesce in what are usually politically overdetermined contexts. The pull of the apolitical cannot be cynically dismissed as disingenuous or merely a veiled politics, or we risk fueling rather than addressing the various dimensions of its evolving critique.
Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2011
This article is the second of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism... more This article is the second of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political Hinduism). Here I review prominent rhetorical characterizations and strategies that scholars have used to come to terms with and politically oppose Hindu religious politics, both in India and transnationally. The essay suggests that this literature represents a distinct approach to the study of hindutva that needs to be separated from other, less politically oriented studies. (The first essay in the series surveyed literature on seminal articulations of hindutva, both historical and contemporary; the third examines writings that take hindutva as a form of practice).
Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2011
This article is the third and last in a series of three surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nat... more This article is the third and last in a series of three surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political Hinduism), focusing on praxis: processes by which hindutva is mobilized, operationalized, and made relatable to specific contexts. As hindutva's influences expand to grassroots and diasporic contexts, mediated by discourses of rights, development, and cultures of multiculturalist ethnic assertions, hindutva becomes a mediating discourse in its own right. As such, it is sometimes a diffused logic and sometimes a clear point of reference, but always undeniably central to contemporary political practice at all levels. (The first essay in this series of three surveyed literature on seminal ideological articulations of hindutva, both historical and contemporary; the second examined prominent rhetorical constructions deployed to politically oppose hindutva).
This article is the first of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism ... more This article is the first of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political hinduism), focusing on seminal articulations that set the stage for later debates, and define the directions of later politics. I review accounts of hindutva’s ideological origins, from the pre-independence racialist articulations to the humanist emphases of post-independence years, to the strident culturalism of the 1990s. ‘Hindutva’ is formed through these successive phases of ideological assertion, as much as it precipitates and participates in a wider culture of identitarian assertions. The second essay of three focuses on prominent rhetorical constructions deployed to
address hindutva polemically, and the third on hinduva as praxis.
Anthropological Quarterly, Jan 1, 2005
Cultural Anthropology, Jan 1, 2007
After being subjected to ethnocide and genocide for 500 years (which is why we are endangered), t... more After being subjected to ethnocide and genocide for 500 years (which is why we are endangered), the alternative is for our DNA to be collected and stored. This is just a more sophisticated version of how the remains of our ancestors are collected and stored in museums and scientific institutions. Why don't they address the causes of our being endangered instead of spending $20 million for five years to collect and store us in cold laboratories. If this money will be used instead to provide us basic social services and promote our rights as indigenous peoples, then our biodiversity will be protected.
Social Movements: An Anthropological Reader. J. …, Jan 1, 2005
The ethics of kinship: ethnographic inquiries, Jan 1, 2001
... The Chirumazhanji of my mind's invention is a fictional town that I ... more ... The Chirumazhanji of my mind's invention is a fictional town that I can never place amid the vast stretches of paddy green, next to the small Shiva ... What is it that urges Malathi Akka to make the long journey from Trichy to Bangalore with her two sons and husband though she is ill ...
American Ethnologist, Jan 1, 2009
Skip to Main Content. Due to scheduled maintenance access to the Wiley Online Library may be disr... more Skip to Main Content. Due to scheduled maintenance access to the Wiley Online Library may be disrupted as follows: Saturday, 2 October - New York 0500 EDT to 0700 EDT; London 1000 BST to 1200 BST; Singapore 1700 SGT to 1900 SGT. ...
International Journal of Hindu Studies, Jan 1, 2009
What is the relationship between Hinduism and religion? The question is not one that this issue s... more What is the relationship between Hinduism and religion? The question is not one that this issue seeks to address directly, but it has significant bearing nonetheless on the project of knowing how temple publics are constituted. Of course there is the popular cliché about Hinduism being not religion but a "way of life." Alongside it, however, is a vast literature that describes Orientalist, modernist, and diasporic constructions of Hinduism, as well as much work that describes various sampradayas' incorporation of Hindu precepts and practices into models of universalism, Hindutva (or political Hinduism), and so on. On the one hand, scholars and communities of devotees alike continue to grapple with how best to come to terms with the beguiling range of practices and beliefs that constitute "Hinduism" (for example, see Lipner 2004). On the other hand, reifications of Hinduism are ubiquitous, and almost it would seem unavoidable in order to "operationalize" (Kelty 2004) Hindu praxis in modern scenarios.
American Ethnologist, Jan 1, 2003
Anthropological Quarterly, Jan 1, 2005
The category of "caste" has had a long history both in and out of the Indian subcontinent, one th... more The category of "caste" has had a long history both in and out of the Indian subcontinent, one that is frequently intertwined with that of "race." From H. H. Risley's use of late-nineteenth century European race science in anthropometric research, to Max Müeller's articulation of the Aryan theory of race and pan-Africanist expressions of racial solidarity with the lower castes of India, caste has frequently been redefined and politicized by being drawn into wider discourses about race. Informed by this complex history, this essay asks how "race" and "caste" have come to serve as key metaphors of socio-political struggle, illuminating one-another and emerging as potent rhetorical strategies of social critique, particularly in India but increasingly also in more global contexts. I argue that Dalit groups in contemporary India move their concerns into global forums such as the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism by appropriating ideas about caste and religion that have long been used to mystify the local and "native" inhabitants-ideas that are themselves the subjects of established ethnographic critique. As such, this essay remains aware of the difficulties of bringing anthropological concerns to bear on analyses of on-going political struggle.
Collaborative anthropologies, Jan 1, 2008
The Journal of Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2007
Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS ALBANY © 2005 State University of New York All ri... more Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS ALBANY © 2005 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of ...
![Research paper thumbnail of White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender and Body in North India [Book Review]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/51253431/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Journal of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies: …, Jan 1, 2001
arts.manchester.ac.uk
In this short orientation piece we aim to sketch out some parameters and raise some questions abo... more In this short orientation piece we aim to sketch out some parameters and raise some questions about the idea of the public in relation to the project, before going on to explore the kind of representational strategies we see as encompassed by the concerns of the project.
The Journal of Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2007
Contemporary South Asia , 2018
What are the new characteristics of Hindu nationalism—now in a phase when Hindutva logics are per... more What are the new characteristics of Hindu nationalism—now in a phase
when Hindutva logics are percolating into various local practices, in
India and in diaspora, and now that the BJP has assumed electoral
office? This short ‘Post Script’ essay uses the cases represented in this
special issue on ‘neo-Hindutva’ to think through overarching themes
that distinguish present expressions of political Hinduism. I argue that
while the vernacularization of Hindutva continues to generate new
expressions that variously modulate or adapt classic Sangh Parivar
positions in specific local contexts, the wide dispersion of Hindutva
logics and the wider tendency to use political frameworks for almost all
social affairs is generating other responses. Most notably, Hindutva
vernacularization increasingly involves seeking out apolitical forms of
politics itself: transcendent logics and neutralizing frameworks that
position Hindutva as outside of the usual political corruptions of the
modern Indian State. While such forms have a long history in the
subcontinent, I argue for greater attentiveness to apolitical aspirations as these coalesce in what are usually politically overdetermined contexts. The pull of the apolitical cannot be cynically dismissed as disingenuous or merely a veiled politics, or we risk fueling rather than addressing the various dimensions of its evolving critique.
Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2011
This article is the second of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism... more This article is the second of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political Hinduism). Here I review prominent rhetorical characterizations and strategies that scholars have used to come to terms with and politically oppose Hindu religious politics, both in India and transnationally. The essay suggests that this literature represents a distinct approach to the study of hindutva that needs to be separated from other, less politically oriented studies. (The first essay in the series surveyed literature on seminal articulations of hindutva, both historical and contemporary; the third examines writings that take hindutva as a form of practice).
Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2011
This article is the third and last in a series of three surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nat... more This article is the third and last in a series of three surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political Hinduism), focusing on praxis: processes by which hindutva is mobilized, operationalized, and made relatable to specific contexts. As hindutva's influences expand to grassroots and diasporic contexts, mediated by discourses of rights, development, and cultures of multiculturalist ethnic assertions, hindutva becomes a mediating discourse in its own right. As such, it is sometimes a diffused logic and sometimes a clear point of reference, but always undeniably central to contemporary political practice at all levels. (The first essay in this series of three surveyed literature on seminal ideological articulations of hindutva, both historical and contemporary; the second examined prominent rhetorical constructions deployed to politically oppose hindutva).
This article is the first of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism ... more This article is the first of three in a series surveying research on Hindutva (Hindu nationalism or political hinduism), focusing on seminal articulations that set the stage for later debates, and define the directions of later politics. I review accounts of hindutva’s ideological origins, from the pre-independence racialist articulations to the humanist emphases of post-independence years, to the strident culturalism of the 1990s. ‘Hindutva’ is formed through these successive phases of ideological assertion, as much as it precipitates and participates in a wider culture of identitarian assertions. The second essay of three focuses on prominent rhetorical constructions deployed to
address hindutva polemically, and the third on hinduva as praxis.
Anthropological Quarterly, Jan 1, 2005
Cultural Anthropology, Jan 1, 2007
After being subjected to ethnocide and genocide for 500 years (which is why we are endangered), t... more After being subjected to ethnocide and genocide for 500 years (which is why we are endangered), the alternative is for our DNA to be collected and stored. This is just a more sophisticated version of how the remains of our ancestors are collected and stored in museums and scientific institutions. Why don't they address the causes of our being endangered instead of spending $20 million for five years to collect and store us in cold laboratories. If this money will be used instead to provide us basic social services and promote our rights as indigenous peoples, then our biodiversity will be protected.
Social Movements: An Anthropological Reader. J. …, Jan 1, 2005
The ethics of kinship: ethnographic inquiries, Jan 1, 2001
... The Chirumazhanji of my mind's invention is a fictional town that I ... more ... The Chirumazhanji of my mind's invention is a fictional town that I can never place amid the vast stretches of paddy green, next to the small Shiva ... What is it that urges Malathi Akka to make the long journey from Trichy to Bangalore with her two sons and husband though she is ill ...
American Ethnologist, Jan 1, 2009
Skip to Main Content. Due to scheduled maintenance access to the Wiley Online Library may be disr... more Skip to Main Content. Due to scheduled maintenance access to the Wiley Online Library may be disrupted as follows: Saturday, 2 October - New York 0500 EDT to 0700 EDT; London 1000 BST to 1200 BST; Singapore 1700 SGT to 1900 SGT. ...
International Journal of Hindu Studies, Jan 1, 2009
What is the relationship between Hinduism and religion? The question is not one that this issue s... more What is the relationship between Hinduism and religion? The question is not one that this issue seeks to address directly, but it has significant bearing nonetheless on the project of knowing how temple publics are constituted. Of course there is the popular cliché about Hinduism being not religion but a "way of life." Alongside it, however, is a vast literature that describes Orientalist, modernist, and diasporic constructions of Hinduism, as well as much work that describes various sampradayas' incorporation of Hindu precepts and practices into models of universalism, Hindutva (or political Hinduism), and so on. On the one hand, scholars and communities of devotees alike continue to grapple with how best to come to terms with the beguiling range of practices and beliefs that constitute "Hinduism" (for example, see Lipner 2004). On the other hand, reifications of Hinduism are ubiquitous, and almost it would seem unavoidable in order to "operationalize" (Kelty 2004) Hindu praxis in modern scenarios.
American Ethnologist, Jan 1, 2003
Anthropological Quarterly, Jan 1, 2005
The category of "caste" has had a long history both in and out of the Indian subcontinent, one th... more The category of "caste" has had a long history both in and out of the Indian subcontinent, one that is frequently intertwined with that of "race." From H. H. Risley's use of late-nineteenth century European race science in anthropometric research, to Max Müeller's articulation of the Aryan theory of race and pan-Africanist expressions of racial solidarity with the lower castes of India, caste has frequently been redefined and politicized by being drawn into wider discourses about race. Informed by this complex history, this essay asks how "race" and "caste" have come to serve as key metaphors of socio-political struggle, illuminating one-another and emerging as potent rhetorical strategies of social critique, particularly in India but increasingly also in more global contexts. I argue that Dalit groups in contemporary India move their concerns into global forums such as the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism by appropriating ideas about caste and religion that have long been used to mystify the local and "native" inhabitants-ideas that are themselves the subjects of established ethnographic critique. As such, this essay remains aware of the difficulties of bringing anthropological concerns to bear on analyses of on-going political struggle.
Collaborative anthropologies, Jan 1, 2008
The Journal of Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2007
Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS ALBANY © 2005 State University of New York All ri... more Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS ALBANY © 2005 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of ...
Journal of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies: …, Jan 1, 2001
arts.manchester.ac.uk
In this short orientation piece we aim to sketch out some parameters and raise some questions abo... more In this short orientation piece we aim to sketch out some parameters and raise some questions about the idea of the public in relation to the project, before going on to explore the kind of representational strategies we see as encompassed by the concerns of the project.
The Journal of Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2007