The Crisis of Secularism in India

“The Crisis of Secularism in India is a lively engagement by leading scholars on the causes, forms and solutions to the erosion of tolerance in India. . . . This volume is important because it updates existing scholarship on secularism in three interesting ways: a) it provides a rich empirical (contemporary and historical) basis for the debates on the crisis of secularism; b) it highlights other sites of secularism such as education, cinema, media, and non-mainstream ways of thinking about secularism; and c) it provides us with alternative solutions that focus on the actions of non-state actors generated in the grey zone between the state and citizen.” - Shylashri Shankar, Journal of Law and Religion

“It seems to me today that any worthy investigation of Hindu-Christian relations in India must place those relations in the larger context of long-standing debates about secularism and democracy in the religiously diverse Indian state. This volume, therefore, is indispensable to those working on the topic, both for the articles of more indirect relevance, and for these excellent concluding essays.” - Chad Bauman, Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

“This illuminating anthology not only speaks volumes about its distinguished editors but also demands close reading of the scholarly articles by a group of humanists, social scientists, and legal practitioners of India and the U. S. . . . The aim of this timely and scholarly anthology is to provide a forum with a view to brainstorming a model for a viable, reasonable, and rational secular society in post-Gujarat India.”
- Narasingha P. Sil, Religious Studies Review

“This insightful and informative volume benefits from contributors who are leaders in their fields and is to be recommended to anyone with an interest in religion in India for its sometimes provocative, but always thoughtful engagement with a vitally important contemporary issue which has much broader ramifications in India and elsewhere.” - Catherine Robinson, Journal of Contemporary Religion

“Indian public debates on the question of secularism have been among the most thought-provoking in the contemporary world. This rich collection of essays by Indian intellectuals (including historians, political scientists, and philosophers) reflects the sophisticated character of many of the arguments being deployed. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has been seriously thinking about this problem.” - Talal Asad, author of Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity

“This very rich collection of essays from a stellar line of contributors is remarkable not only because it updates Indian debates on secularism. It also evinces a spirit of scrupulous engagement with the present by deliberately situating itself in the shadow of the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002. Philosophical, historical, and contemporary at the same time, these essays add a new dimension to global discussions of liberalism and the politics of the religious right.” - Dipesh Chakrabarty, author of Habitations of Modernity: Essays in the Wake of Subaltern Studies