Ideology and Identity

The Changing Party Systems of India

Rahul Verma author Pradeep K Chhibber author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:25th Oct '18

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Ideology and Identity cover

Indian party politics, commonly viewed as chaotic, clientelistic, and corrupt, is nevertheless a model for deepening democracy and accommodating diversity. But if these perspectives are contradictory, they do have one thing in common: the perception of Indian politics as non-ideological in nature. In Ideology and Identity, Pradeep K. Chhibber and Rahul Verma argue that the Western European paradigm of what constitutes an ideology is not entirely applicable to many multiethnic countries in the twentieth century. In these more diverse states, the most important ideological debates center on statism-or the extent to which the state should dominate society, regulate social norms, redistribute private property, and accommodate the needs of various marginalized groups. Using survey data from the Indian National Election Studies (NES) and other studies along with evidence drawn from the Constituent Assembly debates, this book shows how education, the media, and religious practice transmit the competing ideas that lie at the heart of the ideological debates in India.

Chhibber and Verma (both UC Berkeley) present an important case that Indian politics is and has always been quite ideological, despite standard views that it simply rewards various castes... This complex, quantified study invites comparisons with other multi-ethnic societies, and implicitly warns US Democrats against turning too much to "recognition" of marginal groups. The 2019 elections could show if the BJP's combination of Hinduism and markets holds together. * M. G. Roskin, emeritus, Lycoming College, CHOICE *
This book will be useful to students and scholars interested in understanding the intellectual lineages of the issues that concern political parties in India today, and the Indian party system. It is well organized and the proofreading is good * Ganeshdatta Poddar, Pacific Affairs *
"Partisan politics is often said to have little to do with ideology in India. Pradeep Chhibber and Rahul Verma's impressive new book is intended to bury this perception, and in the process unpack the role of ideology in Indian politics. This makes it both a remarkable and an original addition to the rapidly accumulating scholarship on India, and as such, one that is required reading for all analysts of Indian politics."- Simon Chauchard, Perspective on Politics

ISBN: 9780190623876

Dimensions: 160mm x 236mm x 23mm

Weight: 601g

336 pages