- Summary
- Contents
- Subject index
This book provides a fresh insight into the role of identity in international and national relations and policy. It analyzes identity conceptions and state behavior, arguing that identities (seen in terms of self/other relations) constitute a crucial element of state interest, both in terms of end goals and strategies. It discusses the effects of secular and religious-cultural understanding of identity on domestic and foreign affairs.
The book presents a discourse on national identity in India, the events from 1990–2003, and how these have influenced the engagement of India with others, especially with Pakistan and China. In this process, it reveals several surprising insights, along with the challenges that confront the country.
Chapter 2: National Identity Narratives in India: Religious-Cultural and Secular
National Identity Narratives in India: Religious-Cultural and Secular
Introduction
This chapter examines two conceptualizations of national identity in India that are understood to be dominant and enduring. Identity is a multi-faceted and dynamic concept, and there are several regional, linguistic, gender and caste identity discourses in India that are sometimes articulated in opposition to each other or those that sometimes nest within a broader identity. For instance, there are identity discourses based on language (Tamil Nadu), religion and language (Punjab and Kashmir), and caste (as exemplified in the politics of northern India). However, in each of these discourses identity comes to exist in a localized political context. Several of these identity discourses do not consent to the idea of ...
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