Haj to Utopia

Haj to Utopia
Author: Maia Ramnath
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2011-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520950399

In Haj to Utopia, Maia Ramnath tells the dramatic story of Ghadar, the Indian anticolonial movement that attempted overthrow of the British Empire. Founded by South Asian immigrants in California, Ghadar—which is translated as "mutiny"—quickly became a global presence in East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and East Africa. Ramnath brings this epic struggle to life as she traces Ghadar’s origins to the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, its establishment of headquarters in Berkeley, California, and its fostering by anarchists in London, Paris, and Berlin. Linking Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1914 to Ghadar’s declaration of war on Britain, Ramnath vividly recounts how 8,000 rebels were deployed from around the world to take up the battle in Hindustan. Haj to Utopia demonstrates how far-flung freedom fighters managed to articulate a radical new world order out of seemingly contradictory ideas.

The Necessity of Secularism

The Necessity of Secularism
Author: Ronald A. Lindsay
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA)
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2014-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1939578167

For the first time in human history, a significant percentage of the world's population no longer believes in God. This is especially true in developed nations, where in some societies nonbelievers now outnumber believers. Unless religion collapses completely, or undergoes a remarkable resurgence, countries across the globe must learn to carefully and effectively manage this societal mix of religious and irreligious. For in a world already deeply riven by sectarian conflict, this unprecedented demographic shift presents yet another challenge to humanity. Writing in an engaging, accessible style, philosopher and lawyer Ronald A. Lindsay develops a tightly crafted argument for secularism—specifically, that in a religiously pluralistic society, a robust, thoroughgoing secularism is the only reliable means of preserving meaningful democracy and rights of conscience. Contrary to certain political pundits and religious leaders who commonly employ the term secularism as a scare word, Lindsay uses clear, concrete examples and jargon-free language to demonstrate that secularism is the only way to ensure equal respect and protection under the law—for believers and nonbelievers alike. Although critical of some aspects of religion, Lindsay neither presents an antireligious tirade nor seeks to convert anyone to nonbelief, reminding us that secularism and atheism are not synonymous. Rather, he shows how secularism works to everyone's benefit and makes the definitive case that the secular model should be feared by none—and embraced by all.!--?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /--

Revolutionary Pasts

Revolutionary Pasts
Author: Ali Raza
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2020-04-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108481841

Raza traces the anti-colonial struggles of Indian revolutionaries in the context of Communist Internationalism during the last decades of the British Raj.

Religion, Secularism, and Ethnicity in Contemporary Nepal

Religion, Secularism, and Ethnicity in Contemporary Nepal
Author: David N. Gellner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2020-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 019099343X

The socio-political landscape of Nepal has been rocked by dramatic and far-reaching changes in the past thirty years. Following a ten-year Maoist revolution and civil war, the country has transitioned from a monarchy to a republic. The former Hindu kingdom has declared its commitment to secularism, without coming to any agreement on what secularism means or should mean in the Nepalese context. What happens to religion under conditions of such rapid social and political change? How do the changes in public festivals reflect and/or create new group identities? Is the gap between the urban and the rural narrowing? How is the state dealing with Nepal’s multicultural and multi-religious society? How are Nepalis understanding, resisting, and adapting ideas of secularism? In order to answer these important questions, this volume brings together eleven case studies by an international team of anthropologists and ethno-Indologists of Nepal on such diverse topics as secularism, individualism, shamanism, animal sacrifice, the role of state functionaries in festivals, clashes and synergies between Maoism and Buddhism, and conversion to Christianity. In an Afterword, renowned political theorist Rajeev Bhargava presents a comparative analysis of Nepal’s experiences and asks whether the country is finding its own solution to the conundrum of secularism.

Sacred and Secular

Sacred and Secular
Author: Pippa Norris
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2011-10-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139499661

This book develops a theory of existential security. It demonstrates that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past half century, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before. This second edition expands the theory and provides new and updated evidence from a broad perspective and in a wide range of countries. This confirms that religiosity persists most strongly among vulnerable populations, especially in poorer nations and in failed states. Conversely, a systematic erosion of religious practices, values and beliefs has occurred among the more prosperous strata in rich nations.

Decolonizing Anarchism

Decolonizing Anarchism
Author: Maia Ramnath
Publisher: AK Press
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1849350825

Decolonizing Anarchism examines the history of South Asian struggles against colonialism and neocolonialism, highlighting lesser-known dissidents as well as iconic figures. What emerges is an alternate narrative of decolonization, in which liberation is not defined by the achievement of a nation-state. Author Maia Ramnath suggests that the anarchist vision of an alternate society closely echoes the concept of total decolonization on the political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological planes. Decolonizing Anarchism facilitates more than a reinterpretation of the history of anticolonialism; it also supplies insight into the meaning of anarchism itself. Praise for Decolonizing Anarchism: “Maia Ramnath offers a refreshingly different perspective on anticolonial movements in India, not only by focusing on little-remembered anarchist exiles such as Har Dayal, Mukerji and Acharya but more important, highlighting the persistent trend that sought to strengthen autonomous local communities against the modern nation-state. A superbly original book.”—Partha Chatterjee, author of Lineages of Political Society: Studies in Post-colonial Democracy “[Ramnath] audaciously reframes the dominant narrative of Indian radicalism by detailing its explosive and ongoing symbiosis with decolonial anarchism.”—Dylan Rodríguez, author of Suspended Apocalypse: White Supremacy, Genocide, and the Filipino Condition

Secularism Under Siege

Secularism Under Siege
Author: Zaheer Ali
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2023-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 100383096X

This anthology makes a discerning attempt to bring into focus myriad dimensions of secularism and the foremost impediments to its attainment. The scholars who contributed to this volume have underscored that the disconnect between a modern-secular state and a conservative society is detrimental to recognizing an ideal secular-democratic polity. Then there is the burden of the past centuries that independent India has to carry on its young shoulders. The political factions in India invent their own historical narratives to advance their political agenda coupled with political and economic arguments leading to social dissensions and communal hatred, the ugliest manifestation of which is communal violence that occasionally takes on the form of anti-minority pogroms. The academic critiques of the concept of secularism and its correlated premises belted in this volume shall be of assistance not only to the scholars but also to the students of social sciences and the conscientious readers interested in knowing about the current socio-political milieu. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)

Soldiers of God in a Secular World

Soldiers of God in a Secular World
Author: Sarah Shortall
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0674980107

A revelatory account of the nouvelle thŽologie, a clerical movement that revitalized the Catholic ChurchÕs role in twentieth-century French political life. Secularism has been a cornerstone of French political culture since 1905, when the republic formalized the separation of church and state. At times the barrier of secularism has seemed impenetrable, stifling religious actors wishing to take part in political life. Yet in other instances, secularism has actually nurtured movements of the faithful. Soldiers of God in a Secular World explores one such case, that of the nouvelle thŽologie, or new theology. Developed in the interwar years by Jesuits and Dominicans, the nouvelle thŽologie reimagined the ChurchÕs relationship to public life, encouraging political activism, engaging with secular philosophy, and inspiring doctrinal changes adopted by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Nouveaux thŽologiens charted a path between the old alliance of throne and altar and secularismÕs demand for the privatization of religion. Envisioning a Church in but not of the public sphere, Catholic thinkers drew on theological principles to intervene in political questions while claiming to remain at armÕs length from politics proper. Sarah Shortall argues that this Òcounter-politicsÓ was central to the mission of the nouveaux thŽologiens: by recoding political statements in the ostensibly apolitical language of doctrine, priests were able to enter into debates over fascism and communism, democracy and human rights, colonialism and nuclear war. This approach found its highest expression during the Second World War, when the nouveaux thŽologiens led the spiritual resistance against Nazism. Claiming a powerful public voice, they collectively forged a new role for the Church amid the momentous political shifts of the twentieth century.

Last Weapons

Last Weapons
Author: Kevin Grant
Publisher: University of California Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2019-06-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520301005

Last Weapons explains how the use of hunger strikes and fasts in political protest became a global phenomenon. Exploring the proliferation of hunger as a form of protest between the late-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, Kevin Grant traces this radical tactic as it spread through trans-imperial networks among revolutionaries and civil-rights activists from Russia to Britain to Ireland to India and beyond. He shows how the significance of hunger strikes and fasts refracted across political and cultural boundaries, and how prisoners experienced and understood their own starvation, which was then poorly explained by medical research. Prison staff and political officials struggled to manage this challenge not only to their authority, but to society’s faith in the justice of liberal governance. Whether starving for the vote or national liberation, prisoners embodied proof of their own assertions that the rule of law enforced injustices that required redress and reform. Drawing upon deep archival research, the author offers a highly original examination of the role of hunger in contesting an imperial world, a tactic that still resonates today.

Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment

Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment
Author: Akeel Bilgrami
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2014-04-21
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674052048

In a rigorous exploration of how secularism and identity emerged as conflicting concepts in the modern world, Akeel Bilgrami elaborates a notion of secular enchantment with a view to finding in secular modernity a locus of meaning and value, while addressing squarely the anxiety that all such notions are exercises in nostalgia.