An Approcah to Hindutva

This book is the outcome of my doctoral study that I conducted at the University of Coimbra from 2017-2023. It analyses an Indian case study that explores how Hindu nationalists challenged the established discourse of human rights and secularism during a film controversy in the north Indian district of Varanasi in 2000. This film controversy is also analyzed in a broader national political context in line with the rising tide of Hindutva politics since 2014. This book is an attempt to analyse the complexities of modern theories and their implications in a non-Western society. The book concludes that Indian secularism offers theoretical and practical tools to address real contemporary conflicts of a religious nature. However, it cannot eliminate the conflicts between Hindu nationalism and freedom of expression and dissent; it has failed to prevent the communalization of public space, the rise and dominance of Hindutva and the suppression of dissent. This book is presented in a research format in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research processes and scientific method adopted in this study.