Identity Politics in India and Europe combines qualitative methods (20 interviews) with historical and philosophical analysis. The first part of the book discusses the history of perceptions between the Europe of Latin Christianity and the so-called Muslim world, starting from the 7th century onwards. The second part is devoted to a discussion on the emergence of modernity and how it changed the identity politics of earlier times. The third part explores the role that intellectual elites have to play. It comprises interviews of eminent scholars and thinkers in India such as Imtiaz Ahmad and Ashis Nandy. These make for an insightful read, especially as subtle ideological differences surface in their responses to a set of common questions.

Asghar Ali Engineer

Asghar Ali Engineer

Asghar Ali Engineer

Today, many perceive either religion as such or some particular religion as a threat. What is your personal experience in this regard?

Religion can never be a threat. Religion comes into existence for spreading good. If you take all major religions in the world, they appear at very critical junctures when humanity needed to combat evil and bloodshed and war. So religion (i) does not spread hatred and (ii) it is not a source for conflict but a source of peace. It is not a threat to anyone but a source to stabilise the world. After saying this, I should also say that like anything else religion can also be misused. But for that we don't have to blame religion as ...

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