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| Indian nationalism | |
|---|---|
| Name | Indian nationalism |
| Caption | Flag raising during Indian independence movement |
| Start | 19th century |
| Region | Indian subcontinent |
Indian nationalism emerged as a modern political and cultural identity in the 19th century on the Indian subcontinent, consolidating diverse linguistic, religious, and regional communities into claims of shared polity and destiny. It developed through interactions among reformers, intellectuals, political organizations, insurgent movements, colonial institutions, and transnational currents, producing competing visions that shaped the trajectory from colonial rule to postcolonial statehood. The term encompasses movements, debates, and institutions involving figures, parties, courts, publications, and mobilizations across eras such as the Indian independence movement, the Partition of India, and the formation of the Republic of India.
Early articulations drew on reformist societies and print cultures: the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj debated scriptural authority alongside the Young Bengal group and the Aligarh Movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Associations such as the Indian National Congress (founded 1885) and provincial bodies like the Bengal Presidency intelligentsia connected with newspapers such as Kesari (newspaper), The Hindu, and Amrita Bazar Patrika. Important events stimulating identity included the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, judicial incidents at the Calcutta High Court, and infrastructural projects like the Indian Railways that enabled mobility and print circulation among cities such as Bombay Presidency, Madras Presidency, and Punjab Province. Intellectual exchange involved contact with movements in Britain, France, and Germany and figures like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Lala Lajpat Rai.
Nationalist politics crystallized into constitutional agitation, mass protest, and revolutionary activity. The Indian National Congress pursued legislative reform, while the All-India Muslim League articulated communal demands culminating in the Lucknow Pact and later the Pakistan Movement. Mass campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi—including the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement—aligned with satyagraha tactics and figures such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Parallel currents included revolutionary networks linked to Anushilan Samiti, the Ghadar Party, and insurgent acts like the Chittagong armoury raid; legal confrontations invoked institutions such as the Privy Council and the India Office. The interplay among actors like Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Enver Pasha contacts, and wartime politics in World War II influenced final negotiations culminating in the Mountbatten Plan and Indian Independence Act 1947.
Multiple ideologies competed: liberal constitutionalism represented by Moderates, radical nationalism associated with Extremists, socialist strands linked to the Communist Party of India, and right-wing currents embodied by organizations such as the Hindu Mahasabha and later the Bharatiya Janata Party. Debates engaged thinkers like B. R. Ambedkar on representation, M. N. Roy on radical humanism, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on cultural identity, and Ram Manohar Lohia on non-alignment. Electoral politics after 1947 involved parties such as the Congress (O), Janata Party, and regional formations like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Telugu Desam Party, reflecting ideological fragmentation across issues addressed in the Constituent Assembly of India and adjudicated by the Supreme Court of India.
Cultural nationalism found expression in literary, artistic, and educational institutions: journals such as Prabuddha Bharat, theatres in Calcutta, and universities like University of Bombay and Aligarh Muslim University. Religious reform movements—Ramakrishna Mission, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh—and devotional revivals engaged debates over symbols including the Indian flag and the national anthem Jana Gana Mana. Tensions over colonial-era policies such as the Cushioning Act and controversies like the Shah Bano case and temple access disputes implicated leaders including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and K. M. Munshi. Cultural policy after independence intersected with institutions such as the University Grants Commission and works by authors like Rabindranath Tagore and Munshi Premchand.
Post-1947, the Republic of India pursued nation-building through constitutional provisions drafted in the Constituent Assembly, land reform legislations, and development initiatives like the Five-Year Plans overseen by leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. State structures—police forces, Indian Administrative Service, and courts—asserted central authority during crises like the Emergency (India) under Indira Gandhi. Policies such as the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 reshaped territorial federalism; economic turns included the 1991 liberalization under P. V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. Symbols of state nationalism—Republic Day, Constitution of India celebrations, and public monuments like the India Gate—continued to mediate citizenship, education, and public memory.
Regional assertions complicated unitary claims: movements in Kashmir (involving the Instrument of Accession and Article 370 debates), insurgencies in Northeast India such as the Mizo National Front and United Liberation Front of Assam, and Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu challenged centralized narratives. Ethnic mobilizations by groups like the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Naga National Council, and Khalistan movement created security and political dilemmas addressed by operations involving the Indian Army and negotiated accords like the Mizoram Peace Accord. Language agitations, for example the Anti-Hindi agitations and the creation of states including Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, reshaped boundaries and identity politics.
Contemporary debates engage multiculturalism, secularism, and majoritarian claims as articulated by parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party and civil society organizations including Human Rights Watch responses and domestic groups like the India Against Corruption movement. Globalization links India to institutions like the World Bank, United Nations, and trade agreements negotiated with the World Trade Organization; diasporic mobilizations in cities like London, New York City, and Dubai influence transnational advocacy and investment. Geopolitical alignments—relations with China, Pakistan, United States, and participation in groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS—shape strategic national discourse alongside climate commitments in forums like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Contemporary scholarship and media from outlets such as The Times of India and academics at institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University and Oxford University continue to debate inclusion, federal devolution, and the meaning of belonging in a plural polity.